2026 VPN Price Index: The Real Cost of 10 Major VPNs

A VPN’s advertised monthly price can describe a payment that happens only once, covers several years, and later renews on a different schedule. The subscription may also have a separate device allowance, a conditional refund policy and optional products outside the base VPN. This index puts those purchasing facts beside one another so readers can inspect the cost structure before selecting an offer.

We reviewed public official sources on October 31, 2026. The dataset contains the five VPN providers already in our category—NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and Private Internet Access—plus Mullvad, Windscribe, CyberGhost, IVPN and Mozilla VPN. These additional research observations do not add tools to the existing ranked category. The sample is editorially selected and does not claim market-share coverage.

The original contribution is a source-linked compilation with consistent fields, explicit missing values and reproducible renewal arithmetic. It is not original speed, latency, streaming, security or privacy testing. No performance winner is declared. The article and downloadable data use official source links, with no affiliate URLs. A subscription’s brand, device count or discount badge is not treated as evidence of its performance.

Methodology: compare the payment periods before comparing prices

Each row identifies a named offer or account tier. We recorded its currency, advertised monthly rate, initial coverage period, initial invoice when explicit, renewal invoice and renewal period when verified, ongoing free access, simultaneous-device policy, refund conditions and additional-fee evidence. Relevant official policies are linked with the pricing page, allowing readers to inspect the scope behind a number.

The paid starting-rate column covers the lowest displayed standard offer within the stated product scope that the reviewed source established. It is not a claim about every account, country, reseller, coupon or payment-specific discount. Free plans are described separately, so Proton Free is not mislabeled as the entry price of VPN Plus. Windscribe’s custom minimum is not presented as the full Pro service. IVPN’s Standard account tier is separate from its specialized Light product.

Sources vary in how they expose information. IVPN’s dated official tier announcement supplies its Standard price and device allowance. Other rows use sales or order pages. Where a current readable page does not supply a numeric renewal, we do not copy an amount from a review or reconstruct it from a savings percentage. A publicly documented initial rate and an unverified future invoice can coexist in the same honest record.

Localization is retained rather than hidden. NordVPN’s selected observation is in JPY, Surfshark’s public-page observation in CHF, and CyberGhost’s selected offer in EUR. The other quoted currencies remain as recorded. We do not convert them into dollars, combine an introduction from one currency with a renewal in another, or build a cross-currency cheapest-provider ranking. The same URL can display a different offer on another visit.

For the renewal calculation, first divide the published renewal invoice by the number of months it covers. Then calculate ((renewal monthly equivalent ÷ advertised introductory monthly rate) − 1) × 100. Round only the final percentage to two decimals. This is a comparison of advertised rate levels for a selected offer, not a measure of price inflation during the year or a guaranteed future customer invoice.

We use the published introductory monthly label consistently. This matters when a provider rounds that label. Private Internet Access’s selected offer has a verified advertised rate and renewal invoice, but its initial invoice is not explicit in the readable page. That invoice stays blank; the renewal amount is not silently reused as the initial charge. The resulting percentage is therefore an advertised-rate comparison, not an exact ratio between two independently verified initial and renewal invoices.

Promotional extra months count toward the initial coverage when the selected offer identifies them. For CyberGhost we use the selected order summary’s explicit period and matching total, while preserving the discrepancy with the explanatory billing wording. We do not substitute a shorter divisor merely because the plan is marketed as a two-year product. The raw fields and notes make that choice inspectable.

A missing renewal is not a zero increase. Flat current top-up pricing, a configurable minimum and a standard annual price without a separate verified renewal quote are different states. Only five matched promotional observations enter the renewal-increase ranking. The other five remain in the dataset with their limitations. No average across all ten is published, because it would mix unlike measurements.

We did not create accounts, submit orders, charge payment methods, request refunds or test device connections. A public quote is not an exhaustive checkout audit. Taxes, bank conversion, payment-channel conditions and separately selected products may affect the eventual payment. We record such conditions when documented; where a mandatory setup or processing amount was not established, the entry stays unverified rather than becoming a claimed zero fee.

The ten-provider VPN price and renewal table

Read the initial term, invoice and renewal period together. “Per month” can mean a monthly equivalent rather than monthly billing. Device allowances refer to the stated plan, and an ongoing free tier is distinguished from a trial or money-back period. The final column links official evidence and records exceptions that would disappear in a simple price-only ranking.

Download the October 31 VPN price-index CSV. Blank numerical fields mean that an amount or period was not established, not that the cost is zero. The file retains source URLs, currencies, eligibility flags and review date. This makes it possible to reproduce the stated calculations without treating the dataset as a continuously updated quote service.

What the renewal ranking can and cannot establish

The largest calculated increase among the five matched promotional observations is NordVPN Basic in the selected JPY offer: ¥580 per introductory month versus ¥21,960 for a twelve-month renewal. The renewal equivalent is ¥1,830 per month, producing 215.52%. This is specific to the observed plan, currency and offer; it is not a claim that every NordVPN purchase experiences that increase.

A large percentage is not itself a recommendation to reject a provider. It describes the relationship between two rate levels, without determining whether the plan’s features fit the buyer. Likewise, a smaller percentage does not establish a low absolute bill, a suitable contract period or a complete feature set. Keep the original invoice amounts and service scope beside the percentage when making a decision.

Surfshark’s official renewal policy was readable, but the numeric table was not exposed in the reviewed output. Its initial observation remains useful, while its renewal percentage remains unavailable. Mozilla VPN and IVPN have documented standard annual pricing, but we did not establish a separate numeric future renewal quote. Mullvad’s flat top-up structure and Windscribe’s configurable minimum require different interpretation from a fixed introductory discount.

These limitations are part of the finding. An index becomes less useful when it fills every empty cell with an assumption simply to complete a chart. A reader comparing an actual transaction should resolve the missing renewal, selected configuration or payment detail before purchase. The published record preserves what was established and what still needs confirmation.

The three major VPN cost traps in 2026

1. Extra months obscure a shorter renewal billing cycle

A plan name and a billing period are not always the same thing. A promoted multi-year package may include extra months at the beginning and then renew annually. Comparing the first invoice with the renewal invoice without accounting for those different coverage periods can reverse the impression of what became more expensive. An unchanged invoice amount can buy less time on the next charge.

The table therefore keeps the introductory period and renewal period in separate fields. The introductory rate is spread across the offer’s stated coverage, while the renewal equivalent uses its own billing interval. A promotional label is not permission to assume that the extra months recur indefinitely. Readers reusing the CSV should retain those interval fields instead of extracting only the two amounts.

Initial cash commitment is another separate decision. A small monthly equivalent does not mean the provider charges that amount each month or offers monthly installments. Record the total due, the service period it buys and the next renewal date. If a first invoice is absent from the public output, do not manufacture one from the displayed rate without identifying it as an estimate; this dataset leaves it unknown instead.

The advertised savings percentage also answers a different question from this index’s renewal increase. A savings badge may compare against a monthly list price or another reference amount. Our calculation uses the selected introductory rate as the denominator. Repeating the badge as a renewal statistic would skip that distinction. The calculation method must travel with the result whenever the result is quoted.

Finally, turning off automatic renewal and recovering a payment are separate actions. Decide when you need to review the subscription, preserve the selected offer and check the applicable cancellation route. This article does not claim that a public renewal amount is locked forever. A dated rate observation helps prepare a budget; it does not override the contract or later valid price notices.

2. A free tier or unlimited-device label does not describe the whole purchase

Ongoing free access can remove a subscription charge when its actual limits fit the task. A trial and a refund guarantee are different arrangements. A free tier needs its own data, device and access description; it should not inherit the capabilities of a paid tier that appears nearby. The table separates these states instead of treating every provider with a trial link as a free VPN.

Proton’s free-access observation preserves the existing guide’s no-data-cap baseline while recording its separate device and location conditions. Windscribe demonstrates a different model: free data allowance depends on email status, while its paid custom minimum has a narrower configuration than full Pro. Neither observation is a claim that a limited free or custom plan duplicates every paid entitlement.

A simultaneous-device count also differs from an installation count, server count or permission to share an account. The table reports the selected product’s connection policy. Where unlimited personal connections are documented, that does not automatically authorize resale, shared organizational use or unrestricted account sharing. Check the policy matching the proposed use rather than converting a device label into a different license.

Device-based cost division is particularly easy to misuse. Dividing a subscription by its maximum connection count gives an arithmetic ratio, not the cost each household member will actually bear or a comparable service unit. A plan that covers more devices may still have a different payment term or required features. We therefore do not publish a cheapest-per-device league table.

Before paying, list the connections you really need at the same time, the functions that require a paid tier and the limits that could interrupt the task. That requirement list can make a free plan sufficient or identify a specific reason to upgrade. It cannot be replaced by choosing the largest number in the table. No untested quality conclusion follows from a higher quota.

3. Refund and payment conditions change the effective commitment

A money-back window is not a no-payment trial. It may require an eligible first purchase, a request through the correct channel, a particular payment method or compliance with a usage threshold. A headline duration alone cannot establish how much of a specific purchase would be returned. Our refund cells therefore preserve conditions instead of assigning every provider an unconditional guarantee.

Official documents can also differ in wording. Windscribe’s help page and terms use different day descriptions, alongside a paid-usage condition. We preserve the discrepancy and do not quietly choose the more generous interpretation. That is a reason to confirm the applicable route before relying on a refund, rather than a reason to invent a single universal deadline.

Payment methods can affect both the amount charged and recoverability. A currency displayed on a public page may differ from the eventual processing currency. A bank can apply its own conversion cost. A provider may also offer a payment-specific discount with different refund conditions. Keep those effects separate from the base VPN rate; do not blend a discount from one payment route with refund rights from another.

A temporary authorization, a tax, an optional product and a mandatory processing fee are different kinds of cost evidence. A reversible card check should not be reported as a permanent charge. An optional dedicated IP should not be described as mandatory VPN setup. Conversely, the absence of an amount from a readable page does not certify that every transaction route has no additional cost.

Build the final purchase budget from the actual selected subscription, tax, processing currency and any additional products you choose. Preserve the relevant cancellation and refund instructions with the offer. Do not subtract a possible future refund from the initial commitment as if it were already approved. No setup amount, bank charge or recovered refund is estimated in this study when official evidence does not establish it.

Put the dataset beside the existing VPN decision guides

Use the VPN and security shortlist to inspect the five providers already covered by the category. The free-plan, trial and refund guide explains why permanent access differs from a paid evaluation. These pages provide editorial context; the ten-row dataset is not an expansion of the category’s ranked list.

For a focused paid-provider decision, read the ExpressVPN and NordVPN comparison. The NordVPN purchase and plan review and ExpressVPN billing and suitability review cover their documented offers in more detail. The NordVPN alternatives framework provides other routes within the existing shortlist.

Those linked pages can describe different billing terms from the specific offers selected here. A monthly review quote should not be substituted into a multi-year row without changing its label and methodology. Follow each official source for the exact offer observed, and use the same currency, plan and coverage period when checking or citing the arithmetic.

Frequently asked questions

Which VPN has the largest verified renewal increase in this sample?

Among the five matched promotional observations, NordVPN Basic in the selected JPY offer has the largest calculated increase: ¥580 per introductory month versus ¥21,960 per 12-month renewal. The normalized change is 215.52%. It is specific to that observed offer, not every NordVPN purchase.

Why are some renewal percentages unavailable?

A numeric matching renewal was not established for Surfshark, IVPN or Mozilla VPN. Mullvad uses a current flat top-up rate, and Windscribe’s selected minimum is configurable. These five rows are excluded from the promotional renewal ranking rather than assigned an invented zero increase.

Is a refund guarantee the same as a free VPN plan?

No. A refund can require payment first, an eligible request and compliance with payment-channel or usage conditions. Proton and Windscribe have documented ongoing free access; their limits are stated separately from paid plans and trials.

How are monthly and annual renewal amounts compared?

Divide the renewal invoice by its coverage in months, then calculate ((renewal monthly equivalent / advertised introductory monthly rate) - 1) × 100. Round only the final percentage to two decimals. Rounded advertised labels can differ from exact invoice-derived rates.

Does the dataset include speed or privacy test results?

No. It records official-source price and access conditions reviewed on October 31, 2026. No speed, latency, streaming, privacy or security benchmark was performed, and no performance winner is inferred from the price.

Conclusion: keep the renewal period attached to the price

The useful result is a traceable purchasing record, not a universal cheapest or best VPN label. A low introductory equivalent can be appropriate when the upfront commitment, connection allowance and later billing fit the buyer. It becomes misleading when bonus months are assumed to repeat, a free plan inherits paid features, or a conditional refund is treated as guaranteed free access.

This index publishes the observation date, original currencies, official sources, measurement rules and missing evidence. The CSV supports checking the five eligible renewal calculations and examining the other purchase structures without forcing them into the same statistic. It does not establish historical inflation, measured service quality or a guaranteed future payment.

Before subscribing, make the later invoice as visible as the first: verify the selected plan, total charged now, coverage, renewal amount and interval, account-use rules and payment-channel refund conditions. If a necessary number remains unavailable, obtain it before committing. The dataset identifies those questions; the actual transaction terms supply the final purchase decision.