VPN Pricing Index 2026: Intro vs Renewal Prices Tracked

A VPN costs $2.03 to $7.99 a month on its long introductory term in 2026, and then it renews at a median of 2.3 times that monthly rate. That is the spread across 10 discounted long-term plans from five VPNs, read on each vendor's US pricing page on 19 October 2026. Private Internet Access is the exception: its renewal stays within a few cents a month of the intro rate.

The headline rate on a VPN pricing page is the price of the first term only. This index puts the first bill next to the renewal each vendor prints, converts both to a monthly figure, and shows how far each plan climbs, so you can compare the price you will actually be paying in year three.

Cyberpresso data: 8 of the 10 long-term plans in this index at least double their monthly cost at the first renewal, and the steepest, Surfshark One, renews at 3.3 times its intro rate. These figures are our own index, computed from printed vendor prices as of October 2026.

Toolradar data: Toolradar tracks 36 VPN tools as of 19 October 2026, and 58% of them are free, freemium or open source, which is why the paid plans below compete so hard on the first bill.

The 2026 VPN intro vs renewal price index

Every price is in US dollars, before tax, as printed on 19 October 2026, except CyberGhost's, read again on 5 November 2026 during a sale its buy page calls an "Early Access Deal". The renewal column is the vendor's own figure: ExpressVPN, Proton VPN, CyberGhost and PIA print it beside the plan, and Surfshark prints it on its renewal price list. The per-month renewal is our arithmetic: the yearly renewal divided by 12, or PIA's 3-year renewal divided by 36.

How much does a VPN go up at renewal?

For a typical long-term plan, expect the monthly cost to roughly double or more. The median plan in the index renews at 2.3 times its intro rate, and the mean at 2.2 times. Only two plans stay close to their opening price: PIA's 3-year plan and Proton Unlimited.

Across brands, the lowest headline rates carry the biggest jumps, because the discount produces the low rate and the renewal removes it. Surfshark One opens at the same rate as Starter but renews $20 a year higher, which puts it at the top of the markup ranking. ExpressVPN Basic opens at a mid-table rate and renews at the second-highest markup in the index.

Proton Unlimited is the odd case. Its intro rate is one of the highest here, but its renewal is close to it, so a buyer who wants Proton's whole bundle pays a fairly steady price. PIA does something different again: its 3-year plan renews at the same bill, so the per-month figure moves only because the renewal term is 36 months rather than the 39-month first term.

What the second bill costs, plan by plan

The renewal invoice is the number to budget. Ranked by yearly cost after the intro term, using each vendor's printed renewal:

• Under $65 a year: PIA's 3-year plan works out to about $26.33 a year (our arithmetic on its 3-year renewal), and CyberGhost renews at a flat yearly amount equal to its first bill.
• Just under $85 a year: Surfshark Starter and Proton VPN Plus.
• About $100 a year: Surfshark One and ExpressVPN Basic.
• $119 to $120 a year: Surfshark One+, ExpressVPN Advanced and Proton Unlimited.
• About $200 a year: ExpressVPN Pro, the only plan here that includes a dedicated IP.

The median printed renewal across the 10 plans is about $99 a year. A buyer who chose on the headline rate alone could pay three times as much in year three as a buyer who chose on renewal. The cheapest VPN guide runs the full three-year totals for five devices.

Which VPNs keep the same price after the first term?

Five plans from four VPNs charge the same amount on every renewal, either because they never discount the first term or because the renewal repeats the first bill:

Mullvad sits outside the dollar table because it prices in euros, at one flat monthly rate on any term from one month to a decade, per Mullvad's pricing page; check the current price on Mullvad's site. It offers no long-term discount, so a buyer who stays for years never meets a renewal jump.

Flat pricing costs more in year one and less surprise later. IVPN's yearly price is above the intro rate of eight of the ten long plans, but below nine of their ten renewals. For a buyer who renews without shopping around, a flat-price VPN can be the cheaper choice by year three.

What does a VPN cost month to month?

Monthly billing is the most expensive way to buy a VPN, and it is also the only way to avoid a long commitment. The monthly prices printed on 19 October 2026:

• IVPN Standard: $6 a month, the lowest monthly rate in this index.
• Windscribe Pro: $9.00 a month.
• Proton VPN Plus: $9.99 is the undiscounted monthly rate Proton shows against its 2-year deal.
• PIA: $11.95 a month, also the base PIA measures its discounts against.
• CyberGhost: $12.99 a month, with a 14-day refund window instead of the 45 days on its long plans.
• Surfshark Starter: renews at $16.45 a month on a 1-month subscription, per its renewal list.
• ExpressVPN: its pricing page lists only the 28-month plans, so there is no monthly figure.

Twelve months at the monthly rate usually costs more than a full intro term on a long plan. PIA monthly for a year comes to $143.40 by our arithmetic, nearly twice its own 3-year bill. A monthly plan makes sense for a trip or a short project; for a short test, a VPN free trial or money-back window is cheaper still.

How to keep a VPN's price from doubling

• Compare the renewal line first. The intro rate tells you about one bill; the renewal tells you about every bill after it.
• Check the renewal term, not only the amount. Surfshark, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN and CyberGhost renew for 12 months, while PIA's 3-year plan renews for 3 years.
• Pay on the vendor's site. PIA says app-store purchases follow Apple's or Google's refund terms rather than its own guarantee.
• Set a reminder before the term ends. Turning off auto-renew and buying a new intro deal elsewhere is legitimate, but that new deal is another first term with its own renewal.
• Do not pay for a bundle you will not use. Surfshark One costs the same as Starter for the first 27 months, but its renewal is $20 a year higher.

Teams buying seats for staff face a different price model; the small business VPN guide covers it.

FAQ

How much does a VPN cost per month in 2026?

On long introductory terms, the 10 plans in this index cost between $2.03 and $7.99 a month on the vendor's US page, read 19 October 2026. Monthly plans cost $6 to $12.99 a month across the VPNs that print a monthly plan price, and Surfshark's 1-month Starter renews higher still.

What does a VPN renew at?

The median long-term plan in this index renews at about $99 a year, 2.3 times its intro monthly rate. The range runs from PIA, which renews its 3-year plan at the same bill, to ExpressVPN Pro at $199.95 a year.

Which VPN has the lowest renewal price?

Private Internet Access, by our arithmetic: its 3 years + 3 months plan renews at its first bill every 3 years, about $2.19 a month. Among plans that renew yearly, CyberGhost's yearly renewal is the lowest in the index.

Does Surfshark publish its renewal price?

Yes, on a separate renewal price list rather than on the plan cards: Starter renews at $79 a year, One at $99 and One+ at $119 after the first term.

Is a monthly VPN plan worth it?

Only for short use. Twelve months on PIA's monthly plan cost more than its 3-year plan, and every VPN here that prints a monthly price charges at least $6 a month. For a single trip, a monthly plan or a money-back window beats locking in a long term.

Which VPNs keep the same price after the first term?

PIA's 1-year and monthly plans, CyberGhost's 6-month plan, IVPN and Windscribe Pro all bill the same amount every term. Mullvad does too, at one flat rate in euros; check the current price on Mullvad's site. Among the discounted long plans, PIA's 3-year plan is the one whose renewal repeats the first bill.

Sources and method

We read the US pricing pages of ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, IVPN, Windscribe and Mullvad on 19 October 2026 and recorded each plan's first-term bill, term length and printed renewal. Sources: ExpressVPN pricing, Surfshark pricing, Surfshark renewal prices, Proton VPN pricing, CyberGhost plans, PIA plans, IVPN pricing, Windscribe plans and Mullvad pricing. Per-month renewal rates, markups and yearly equivalents are our arithmetic on those printed prices. Promotional banners and countdown offers are not list prices and are not used. We refresh the index when a vendor changes a printed price. See how we rate.

Cite this: Cyberpresso, "VPN Pricing Index 2026: Intro vs Renewal Prices Tracked", November 2026.

Related reading: Private Internet Access review, ExpressVPN pricing, Surfshark price breakdown, Proton VPN pricing, ExpressVPN review, NordVPN review, best VPN for iPhone and best free VPNs.

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