Devices: Up to 8
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

ExpressVPN still tops our list of the best VPNs, 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 less than $3 a month, paid as $68 upfront. You can step up to the Advanced plan with a few more perks for just $3 a month, paid as $88, or go all-out for the Pro plan for $5 a month, paid as $147.

We evaluate VPNs based on their overall performance in three main categories: speed, security and price. Express isn't the cheapest, but it's among the fastest and the most secure so far, even after its acquisition by Kape Technologies

Devices: Unlimited
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

Surfshark, a relative newcomer to the VPN market, has quickly become known for its speed, which is why it's one of ourVPN experts' top picks. Surfshark also supports unlimited devices, which is great for large households. Currently, all the plans are discounted by up to 87%. If you commit to 27 months of Surfshark Starter VPN right now, you'll be billed $54 upfront, averaging $2 a month.

If you want a few more perks, you can try Surfshark One, which costs just over $2 a month or an upfront payment of $62 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 a month for a 27-month subscription. This will be billed at $113 upfront. You'll get everything the other two packages offer, plus data removal from companies' databases and people-search websites. 

Surfshark merged with rival NordVPN in 2022, although the companies continue to operate independently.

Devices: Up to 10
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

An industry heavyweight and still one of CNET's top picks,NordVPN has some substantial savings right now, with up to 70% off its plans supporting up to 10 devices. The basic two-year plan is $81 upfront for 24 months. If you want the upgraded Plus plan, with its added malware, ad-blocking and password management tools, you can get a two-year subscription for just $105, which works out to about $4 a month. There's also the Complete plan, which is just over $5 a month and is billed as $129 upfront, and the $7 a month Prime plan, which is $177 upfront.

As we noted,NordVPN and Surfshark have merged but have continued to operate autonomously so far.

Devices: Up to 10
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

Proton VPN is the onlyfree VPN 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'll 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 $48 upfront, or pay $10 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.

Devices: Unlimited
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

Private Internet Access earned a spot on our list of the best VPN services as one of our favorite budget options. Right now, you can get this VPN for even less. You can get the two-year plan with four extra months for just $2 a month, billed as $57 upfront.

Despite its affordable price, PIA's 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's worth noting that PIA does fall under US jurisdiction, which might be a concern if you're a security-focused user, although the company appears to be doing everything in its power to alleviate those concerns, including making its source code openly available.

Devices: Up to 5
Return policy: Fully refundable for 60 days

Norton might be a company better known for its antivirus software, butNorton VPN 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 54% on its annual plans. Prices for start at $3 a month for the Standard plan, which is paid as $40 upfront. You can also upgrade to the Plus plan with some extra protections for $50, or get the Ultimate plan for $60, which extends coverage to up to 10 devices.

Devices: Unlimited
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

With one of the best user interfaces in the field, according to our reviewer,IPVanish 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 $53 (a little more than $2 a month). Note thatIPVanish is also based in the US, whichmay be a concern if you're focused on security. (Disclosure: IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as CNET.)

Devices: Up to 10
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 31 days

PureVPN presents another affordable option if you're 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't had the chance to verify that. Another disclaimer: PureVPN wasreported by our sister site ZDNET as 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.

It's currently offering up to 83% off its two-year plans, which includes three free months of service and starts from just $2 a month. That's a super cheap plan for the long term if you're certain PureVPN is the service for you. Different service tiers offer additional features, like password management and up to 10 logins.