Proton VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark or Mullvad: which VPN should you pay for in late 2026?
Five popular VPNs, compared on what their own websites say: price, devices, extras, server footprint and where the company is based. Plus how to choose, and what no VPN can do for you.
By Andrew Ingleton · Published
A VPN hides your traffic from your internet provider and the café Wi-Fi, and shows websites the VPN's address instead of yours. It does not make you anonymous, stop tracking by the sites you log into, or protect a device already infected with malware. With that in mind, here is how five well-known services present themselves in November 2026.
About the figures: everything below comes from each provider's own pricing page, read on 2 November 2026. The pages we could read showed prices in US dollars rather than pounds (only Mullvad listed sterling), so treat them as a guide and check the price in pounds, including VAT, at checkout. Introductory prices usually rise at renewal. We have not run speed tests, and provider claims are marked as claims.
At a glance
| Provider | Entry price shown | Renewal / notes | Devices | Network (claimed) | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN | Free plan; VPN Plus $3.49/month on a 24-month deal ($83.76) | Plus renews at $83.88 a year; Unlimited (bundle with other Proton apps) $7.99/month promo | Free: 1; paid: 10 | 20,000+ servers, 140+ countries; free plan 10 countries | Switzerland |
| NordVPN | Basic $3.49/month on a 2-year plan ($94.23 for the first 27 months); $14.99 month to month | Basic renews at $139.08 a year | 10 | Not found on the page we read | Not stated on the page we read |
| ExpressVPN | Basic $2.99/month on the longest plan ($83.72 for the first 28 months) | Basic renews at $99.95 a year | 10 (Advanced 12, Pro 14) | 113 countries | Not stated on the page we read |
| Surfshark | Starter $2.49/month on a 24-month plan ($67.23 for 27 months) | Renewal price not stated on the page | Unlimited | 4,500+ servers, 100 countries | Netherlands |
| Mullvad | €5 a month (about £4.17 as shown) | Flat price, no sales, same whether you pay monthly or yearly | 5 | Not shown on the pricing page | Sweden (as widely reported; not on the pricing page) |
What each one is best at
Proton VPN: the only proper free option
Proton's free plan allows one device at a time, with servers in 10 countries chosen for you, and the company says there are no data caps or artificial speed limits (medium speed, no P2P or streaming). Paid plans add 10 devices, NetShield ad and malware blocking, Secure Core (an extra hop), and P2P support. Proton says its apps are fully open source and independently audited, though the page does not name the auditor or the date. It is a Swiss company. If you already use Proton Mail or Drive, the Unlimited bundle is the logical purchase.
NordVPN: tiers that stretch beyond the VPN
The cheapest NordVPN plan is the VPN with scam and phishing protection. Higher tiers add antivirus, an ad and tracker blocker, a password manager and 1 TB of encrypted storage, and the top tier adds identity-theft insurance (US-oriented, so check what applies to you). Dedicated IP is a paid add-on. Month-to-month pricing is steep at $14.99, so the long plans are where the value is, as long as you are comfortable with the renewal rise.
ExpressVPN: the premium price ladder
ExpressVPN sells on its Lightway protocol, post-quantum protection and a 113-country footprint, with ad, tracker and malicious-site blocking on every plan. Higher tiers raise the device limit (12 and 14) and bundle extras such as an AI assistant and identity-protection tools. The renewal price is the most useful number on the page.
Surfshark: unlimited devices
Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections, which suits large households. It offers split tunnelling (it calls it Bypasser), a rotating IP, Dynamic MultiHop and browser extensions, and a router option for consoles and smart TVs without apps. It claims an audited no-logs policy without naming the auditor on the page. It is based in the Netherlands. Several plans bundle antivirus and identity tools you may not need; the cheapest plan is the one to compare.
Mullvad: simple and cash-friendly
Mullvad charges a flat €5 a month, accepts cash by post, Monero and many other methods, lets you create an account before paying, and offers a 14-day refund (not for cash). There is no free plan and no port forwarding, and a single account covers 5 devices. It is the least bundle-oriented service here: just the VPN. We cover it in several guides on this site, but it is one choice among many.
How to choose
- Just want to try one? Start with Proton's free plan before paying anyone.
- A big household? Count your devices first. Surfshark's unlimited connections or a router-level setup avoid the device cap.
- Want extras in one bill? NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Proton Unlimited bundle storage, passwords or identity tools; check you will actually use them.
- Care most about privacy payment? Mullvad's cash and Monero options and no-account-details signup stand out.
- Price-sensitive? Compare the renewal price, not the headline. Every provider here except Mullvad runs promotional pricing.
Things to check before you pay
- Leaks. VPN apps on phones can leak traffic in some situations, as we reported for Android and Android 16.
- Independent audits. Look for named auditors and dates, not just the word "audited".
- The UK rules. Regulation of VPNs is changing; see what was decided for under-16s and age verification and your VPN.
- Your router. A VPN does nothing for devices that are not running it.
We will revisit this comparison when we can verify pounds-and-pence prices and have independent test data. If you spot a change before then, tell us.
Sources: provider pricing pages read on 2 November 2026: Proton VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Mullvad. Claims about speed, audits and logging are the providers' own and have not been verified by us.
