VPNs
The best VPNs of 2026, for people who will subscribe
Most people do not need a VPN running all day. HTTPS already hides almost every page. If you still want one you will pay for, start with NordVPN. ExpressVPN if you want the name people recognize at airports. Proton VPN if you want the privacy first sibling of Proton Mail. These are the three we would subscribe to.
NordVPN
$3.49 to $14.99/mo. 10 devices, and the apps people keep.
UpgradeExpressVPN
From $2.99/mo on a 2 year intro. Polished apps, you pay for polish.
AlternativeProton VPN
From about $3 to $10/mo, plus a real free tier.
Our pick
NordVPN
Nord Security
The VPN most people will install, leave on, and renew.
$3.49 to $14.99/mo at NordVPN
Check priceIf we were going to pay for a VPN we would keep, it would be NordVPN. The apps are obvious. NordLynx (their WireGuard build) is fast enough that you forget it is on. You get 10 devices, a kill switch, and a huge server list. VPNCompare’s April 2026 NordVPN vs ExpressVPN test called NordVPN the better overall pick on speed, servers, and price. PCMag gave it a Lab Award as the fastest VPN. Wirecutter is cooler on it: Max Eddy’s June 2026 guide still prefers Mullvad for privacy, and listed NordVPN Basic at $13 a month, the monthly rate then.
Live on nordvpn.com/pricing (28 August 2026): $3.49 a month on a 2 year Basic plan ($94.23 billed for 27 months, including 3 extra months), $5.49 a month on a year ($65.88), and $14.99 month to month. Renewal is $139.08 a year. Basic is the VPN. Ignore the bundles.
What people like about it: the apps just work, so they leave the VPN on. Most people say the 2 year price looks cheap until the renewal email lands.
What reviewers tend to say
Pros
- Apps you will use
- 10 devices
- Fast NordLynx, big network
Cons
- Cheap only on a 2 year lock in
- Renewal jumps
- Wirecutter still prefers Mullvad for privacy
Specs that matter
- Protocol
- NordLynx (WireGuard), plus OpenVPN
- Devices
- 10 at once
- Price
- $3.49/mo (2 year Basic) to $14.99/mo, nordvpn.com/pricing
- Network
- 224 locations (NordVPN press). Roundups usually cite 9,000+ servers.
- Audits
- No logs, six rounds (NordVPN press, 2026)
- Guarantee
- 30 day money back
Upgrade
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN, Kape Technologies
The polished app people pay extra for, when they pay extra.
From $2.99/mo 2 year intro at ExpressVPN
Check priceExpressVPN is the upgrade if you want the friendliest apps and you are willing to pay for that. CNET’s 2026 VPN guide made it Editors’ Choice for best overall. VPNCompare’s 2026 roundup still ranks it first, even though that same site’s NordVPN vs ExpressVPN test later hands the overall win to NordVPN. Lightway is their own protocol. Basic covers 10 devices.
The catch is the bill, and the owner. Wirecutter notes ExpressVPN is among the more expensive services it tested, and that Kape Technologies (once Crossrider) bought it. If Kape bothers you, pick Proton or Mullvad. Live on expressvpn.com/pricing (28 August 2026): Basic is $2.99 a month on a 2 year plus 4 months intro ($83.72 billed for 28 months), then $99.95 a year. The crossed out $419.72 for those 28 months works out to $14.99 a month. PCMag still listed monthly Basic at $12.99. Check the live page.
Reviewers tend to call the apps the reason to pay. They are simpler than NordVPN’s, with less to configure.
What reviewers tend to say
Pros
- Clean apps on phones, TVs, desktops
- Lightway is fast
- 10 devices on Basic
Cons
- Intro price, then $99.95 a year
- Kape ownership
- You are paying for polish
Specs that matter
- Protocol
- Lightway (plus OpenVPN, IKEv2)
- Devices
- 10 on Basic, 12 Advanced, 14 Pro
- Price
- $2.99/mo 2 year intro, then $99.95/year, expressvpn.com/pricing
- Network
- 214 locations in 113 countries (ExpressVPN, July 2026)
- Jurisdiction
- British Virgin Islands. Owned by Kape.
- Guarantee
- 30 day money back for new users
Alternative
Proton VPN
Proton AG
Swiss, a real free tier, and the one PCMag crowns.
From ~$3 to $10/mo Plus, check live checkout
Check priceIf you want a VPN from a company that already does encrypted email, Proton is the alternative we would use. PCMag’s August 2026 Editors’ Choice (and rare 5 star) went to Proton VPN, not Nord or Express. Wirecutter uses it as the budget pick because the free plan has no data cap, from a company it trusts. That free plan is now annoying: you cannot pick the country, you wait on a timer to hop servers, and you get one device. Fine for a café. Not fine as a household VPN.
Paid Plus unlocks 10 devices, Secure Core, streaming, and the full server list. Proton’s plans page says 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, with WireGuard across the apps. Wirecutter’s June 2026 table listed Plus at about $10 a month or $84 a year. Proton’s pricing page did not print a number we could copy (the figures load in checkout). Security.org’s 2026 write up lists Plus at $9.99 month to month, $3.99 a month on a year, and $2.99 a month on two years. Check proton.me/vpn.
What people like about it is the free tier that is not a trap, and the Swiss no logs story. Most people who pay already live in Proton Mail.
What reviewers tend to say
Pros
- Real free tier, no data cap
- Swiss company, audited no logs
- 10 devices on paid plans
Cons
- Free plan rationed by country and a wait timer
- Apps are busier than ExpressVPN
- Live Plus price sits in checkout, not the marketing page
Specs that matter
- Protocol
- WireGuard, plus Secure Core multi hop
- Devices
- 1 on Free, 10 on Plus
- Price
- Wirecutter listed Plus ~$10/mo or $84/year (June 2026). Check checkout.
- Network
- 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries (Proton plans page)
- Jurisdiction
- Switzerland (Proton AG, Geneva)
- Guarantee
- 30 day money back on paid plans. Free plan has no data cap.