The Cheapest VPNs Right Now (Including What They Renew At)
The genuinely cheapest verified VPN plans, ranked by intro price, with the renewal price exposed next to every one so you know what year two really costs.
Marketing pages love the intro price. They rarely print the renewal price sitting one click away in the fine print. That is the number that actually hits your card in year two, and it is often double or triple what got you in the door.
Below is the cheapest VPN long-plan from each of ten providers, ranked by intro monthly rate. Every figure comes from the vendor's own pricing page, not gray-market resellers. And every intro price is printed next to its renewal price, because that gap is the whole story.
Data verified from official vendor pages, updated July 9, 2026.
The cheapest VPN plans, intro price vs renewal
| # | Provider | Intro /mo | Billed upfront | Renews at /mo | Refund window | Scout Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CyberGhost | $1.59 | $41.34 | $3.45 | 45 days | 87 |
| 2 | iTop VPN | $1.66 | $59.99 | undisclosed | 30 days | 65 |
| 3 | PrivateVPN | $2.00 | $72.00 | $6.00 | 30 days | 76 |
| 4 | PureVPN | $2.15 | $58.20 | $4.00 | 31 days | 78 |
| 5 | IPVanish | $2.19 | $52.56 | $7.50 | 30 days | 84 |
| 6 | Hotspot Shield | $2.42 | $29.00 | $8.00 | 45 days | 77 |
| 7 | ExpressVPN | $2.49 | $69.72 | $8.33 | 30 days | 95 |
| 8 | Surfshark | $2.49 | $67.23 | $6.58 | 30 days | 91 |
| 9 | hide.me | $2.59 | $69.99 | $2.59 | 30 days | 81 |
| 10 | AirVPN | $2.75 | $99.00 | undisclosed | 3 days | 82 |
Read that renewal column twice. It reorders everything.
What the cheapest intro price actually buys
CyberGhost tops the list at $1.59/mo on its 2-Year plan, billed $41.34 upfront. Its renewal is $3.45/mo, which is a real jump but still one of the lower renewal figures here. Paired with a 45-day money-back window (longer than most) and a Scout Score of 87, it is the strongest pure-price pick. See the current terms on the CyberGhost deal page.
iTop VPN sits at $1.66/mo, but note two things. The billed-upfront total is $59.99 for a 3-year promo (24 months plus 12 free), and the renewal price is undisclosed. When a vendor does not print what you pay next, treat that as a cost you cannot yet size. Its Scout Score of 65 is the lowest in this group, so the low headline rate is doing a lot of work.
PrivateVPN lands at $2.00/mo on a 36-month term (12 plus 24 free), billed $72.00. It renews at $6.00/mo, a 3x jump.
The renewal gap changes the ranking
Here is where the intro-price ladder falls apart. Sort by what you pay in year two and the order looks nothing like the headline chart.
- hide.me is the standout: intro $2.59/mo and renewal $2.59/mo. Same price, no step-up. It is the only plan here where the number you sign up at is the number you keep paying. That flat structure is worth more than a few cents of intro discount. Details on the hide.me deal page.
- CyberGhost renews at $3.45/mo, the next-lowest disclosed renewal.
- PureVPN renews at $4.00/mo after a $2.15 intro.
- Then the gap widens fast: PrivateVPN $6.00, Surfshark $6.58, IPVanish $7.50, Hotspot Shield $8.00, ExpressVPN $8.33.
So the plan with the cheapest first term is not the plan with the cheapest second term. IPVanish looks great at $2.19/mo intro, but its $7.50/mo renewal is more than double CyberGhost's. ExpressVPN has the highest Scout Score on this page at 95, and its $2.49 intro is competitive, but its $8.33/mo renewal is the steepest disclosed figure here. You are paying for the score, and the renewal reflects it.
Two providers hide the renewal entirely
iTop VPN and AirVPN both show "undisclosed" renewals on their own pages. That is not a data gap on our side; it is what the vendor chooses not to publish. AirVPN also carries the shortest refund window on this list at 3 days, versus 30 to 45 days elsewhere. A 3-day window gives you almost no room to test the service against your own connection and streaming needs before the money is committed. If a flat, predictable cost matters to you, an undisclosed renewal is a reason to slow down, not speed up.
Upfront cost is a separate line to watch
The monthly rate is not the amount that leaves your account today. That is the billed-upfront figure, and it swings widely:
- Hotspot Shield asks the least today at $29.00, though it is a 1-year intro, so you are back at the checkout sooner and facing an $8.00/mo renewal. See Hotspot Shield.
- CyberGhost at $41.34 is the lowest upfront among the multi-year plans.
- AirVPN at $99.00 is the highest upfront charge on the list, spread across three years.
A lower monthly rate on a longer term always means a bigger single charge now. If cash flow matters more to you than the per-month math, the upfront column is the one to read first.
How to read a VPN price like the fine print writer does
Three habits protect you:
- Always find the renewal before you buy. If it is not on the page, that is information too. Our deals and compare pages surface both numbers side by side.
- Match the refund window to your testing time. A 45-day window (CyberGhost, Hotspot Shield) lets you check performance for your streaming services and daily use. A 3-day window (AirVPN) does not.
- Weigh the Scout Score against the price. A cheap plan with a 65 score is a different purchase than a $2.49 plan with a 95. If your priority is unblocking, our streaming picks narrow it further; for the full field, start at providers.
The cheapest VPN by intro price is CyberGhost. The cheapest VPN to keep long-term, on the flat-renewal logic, is hide.me. Both are defensible. Just make the choice with the renewal number in front of you.
FAQ
Which is the cheapest VPN right now?
By intro monthly rate, CyberGhost's 2-Year plan at $1.59/mo (billed $41.34) is the cheapest verified long-plan on this list. Its renewal is $3.45/mo, and it includes a 45-day money-back window.
Why is the renewal price higher than the intro price?
Most VPNs discount the first term heavily to win the sale, then bill the standard rate afterward. On this list the disclosed renewals range from $2.59/mo (hide.me, which does not raise the price) up to $8.33/mo (ExpressVPN). Two providers, iTop VPN and AirVPN, do not publish a renewal price at all.
Does a low upfront charge mean a cheaper VPN?
Not necessarily. Hotspot Shield charges the least today at $29.00, but that is a 1-year term that renews at $8.00/mo. A multi-year plan with a bigger upfront charge, like CyberGhost at $41.34, can cost less per month over the same two years. Read the intro rate, the renewal rate and the upfront total together.
Lena, Scout VPN Team