Cheapest VPN after the first year: renewal prices compared

Short answer

Short answer: after the first term, the cheapest VPN-only plan we checked is Private Internet Access on its 3-year plan, at $81.20 every three years, or about $27 a year. Next come PIA's 1-year plan at $47.88 a year, CyberGhost at $61.32 a year and Mullvad at a flat €5 a month. NordVPN Basic costs the most at $139.08 a year. Surfshark does not show its renewal price before you pay. Checked November 12, 2026, from a US connection, during Black Friday sales.

Price per year after renewal, VPN-only plans

One row per term of 6 months or more for each provider's VPN-only plan, sorted by what it costs per year after the first term, lowest first. Mullvad's euro price is sorted by the dollar amount its pricing page shows. A renewal price that is not shown goes last.

Checked November 12, 2026, from a US connection, during Black Friday sales.

• Private Internet Access pricing page
• CyberGhost pricing page
• Mullvad pricing page
• Proton VPN pricing page
• ExpressVPN pricing page
• NordVPN pricing page
• Surfshark pricing page

The cheapest first year is not the cheapest later

Most long plans are sold at an introductory price that only covers the first term. A low first-term price can hide a high renewal price. Proton VPN Plus costs $35.88 for its first year, less than the $47.88 for Private Internet Access's 1-year plan. But Proton VPN Plus then renews at $83.88 a year, while PIA stays at $47.88.

That is why the table is sorted by the yearly cost after renewal, not by the first-term price. For the terms sold at an introductory price, this is the first term against what you pay per year after it:

• CyberGhost, 28 months: $61.32 for the first term, then $61.32 every 12 months ($61.32 a year).
• Proton VPN, 12 months: $35.88 for the first term, then $83.88 every 12 months ($83.88 a year).
• Proton VPN, 24 months: $83.76 for the first term, then $83.88 every 12 months ($83.88 a year).
• ExpressVPN, 15 months: $74.85 for the first term, then $99.95 every 12 months ($99.95 a year).
• ExpressVPN, 28 months: $83.72 for the first term, then $99.95 every 12 months ($99.95 a year).
• NordVPN, 15 months: $74.85 for the first term, then $139.08 every 12 months ($139.08 a year).
• NordVPN, 27 months: $94.23 for the first term, then $139.08 every 12 months ($139.08 a year).

Plans that keep the same price

Two of the terms in the table renew at the same price as the first term: Private Internet Access's 12-month plan at $47.88 and Mullvad's 12-month plan at €60.00.

According to its pricing page, Mullvad charges €5.00 a month for any length, with no introductory price, so a year costs €60.00 in the first year and after it. Private Internet Access's 1-year plan costs $47.88 and renews at $47.88 every 12 months. Its 3-year plan is cheaper per year after renewal, but the first-term total of that plan is not shown on the pricing page.

Surfshark does not show a renewal price

Surfshark is last in the table because the renewal price is not shown. Surfshark's Starter plan costs $67.23 for the first 27 months. Neither the pricing page nor the checkout shows what it renews at before you pay: the checkout only says the plan renews at "the then-applicable renewal price".

We have not found the renewal price, so we do not estimate it, and the table says "not shown". The first-term price on its own does not tell you what Surfshark costs per year after the first term.