If you want to unblock regional content on streaming services like Netflix, iPlayer, and Prime, or access websites that aren’t available in your region, a VPN is an essential tool. VPN services can also give you online privacy as well as letting you securely connect to open Wi-Fi networks in cafes, hotels, airports and other places. We can help you find the cheapest VPN to suit your needs.
Choosing which VPN service to subscribe to can be difficult and this is compounded by the fact that there are so many offers and discounts. That’s where we come in. All of the services you’ll find below are ones we’d use ourselves – and we do so daily. We’ll let you know the latest prices and best deals so you can find the VPN that suites you at the best price.
Read How to use a VPN on a Mac for more information, and if you still aren’t sure why you need a VPN read: Should I use a VPN on my Mac/iPhone?
Best VPN deals right now
All these deals save a significant amount compared to paying for each of these services on a rolling monthly subscription. VPN providers tend to offer year-round discounts, however there are some deals that mean you won’t be locked into a monthly fee, or at least not one that will expire soon. Here are two of the best examples:
One of the best deals right now is 88% off Ivacy. It’s for a five-year subscription, but for an up-front payment of $69.99 (approx £56), that works out at $1.17 a month and it will stay at that price for five years.
Another deal to take a look at is FastestVPN’s Lifetime plan – which with 93% off makes it an absolute bargain as you pay once and have access to the VPN for life. It’s a one-off $40 (approx £33) and the company says that the full price would be $600.
We have plenty more deals below. Note that many of the deals lock you in for a year or two years after which you can end up paying a lot more, so check out the advertised monthly price. We recommend setting a reminder in your calendar to cancel and look for a new deal to replace the one you had at the end of the contract period.
Best free VPN
There are a few free VPNs on offer but our advice is usually to be very cautious about them. Companies that give stuff away will be making money somehow, and you can’t be sure they aren’t selling your data.
One decent VPN that does offer a free tier is Proton VPN (read our review). You can use Proton VPN for nothing, as long as you’re happy with U.S., Japan, and Netherlands as your server locations. It’s also limiting in that you can only connect a single device, and speeds are slower than the paid plans, but the free version is available on all platforms and if you like it you can always subscribe to get the whole package which will unblock a host of features, including an ad and tracker blocker and improved speed of up to 10 Gbit, as well as an expanded 10-device limit. There’s Port Forwarding for downloads and gaming, too, as well as a Kill Switch for disconnecting should the VPN drop out.
Best cheap VPNs for Mac
We’re reviewed all these services in our round-up of the best VPNs for Mac. Below you will find details of the best deals available currently for each of the major VPN providers – these deals change all the time.
Most VPNs cost less than $5/£5 per month, with some less than $3/£3. There are even some free VPNs, but these are usually very limited and could be collecting data about you. The ones we share here are generally around $3/£3 a month or less.
Here are our top recommendations for Mac VPNs:
- NordVPN: The Basic plan is $3.39/£2.69 a month for 2 years + you get up to 20GB free data with a Saily eSIM data gift.
- Surfshark: This month the Starter plan is $2.19/£1.69 a month for 2 years + 3 free months.
- CyberGhost: Get 84% off. This month’s deal is $2.03/£1.78 a month for 2 years with four free months.
- Private Internet Access: Right now this is 86% off. It’s $2.03/£1.57 a month for 2 years + 4 free months.
As we said above, just remember to take a note of the renewal date when you start a subscription so that you can cancel it before you get charged the full price.
Prices change all the time. In July the Basic plan is $3.39/£2.69 a month for 2 years + a Saily eSIM data gift (this gift is up to 20GB of free mobile data on Saily – a global eSIM app).
Right now the Starter plan is $2.19/£1.69 a month for 2 years + 3 free months. Total $59.54/£46.54, normally $401.70/£319).
In July you can get 84% off. This is $2.03/£1.78 a month for 2 years with four free months. Normally $56.94/£49.92 a year. It’s fully refundable for 45 days, according to the company.
There is a free tier of Proton VPN, but if you want a bit more flexibility and a few more features prices start at $4.49/€4.49 a month for two years. Usually $9.99/€9.99 a month.
Here are a couple of other cheaper VPNs to consider:
More VPN for Mac, iPad & iPhone deals
Top 10 VPN Deals
FastestVPN Lifetime plan
Unlike most VPN deals which are subscriptions for a set number of years, FastestVPN’s is for a lifetime subscription. We asked the company exactly what that meant and were told “we will never terminate their accounts”. And for just $40 – around £30 – that’s unbeatable. FastestVPN has fewer locations and servers than the biggest services, but now has a no-logs audit and unblocks Netflix, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer.
Ivacy five-year VPN subscription
Ivacy’s deal is one of the best around, knocking a whopping 90% off the usual monthly price. It’s a five-year subscription that works out at $1 per month, or 80p if you’re in the UK. The up-front payment of $60 / £52.08 is a real bargain, as that’s what most VPN services charge for two years, or even one year. Ivacy offers a great service which supports P2P downloads, unblocks streaming services (including Netflix and Disney+) and, like any VPN service, gives you security when using public Wi-Fi and privacy when browsing the web. You can use it on up to 10 devices at the same time, but even if you use it only on one or two, it’s still one the cheapest VPN services around.
PureVPN five-year subscription
PureVPN’s five-year deal costs $99.95 (around £80).
It sounds a lot, but works out to $1.67 per month (£1.30), and you can use the subscription on 10 devices at the same time, so it’s actually very cheap compared to some. It’s just a matter of whether you want to commit to five years or not.
As with all the deals here (and with all VPN subscriptions longer than a month), you pay for the full subscription up front – not per month.
Surfshark two-year subscription
Surfshark is offering 79% off its usual monthly price if you opt for its two-year ‘Starter’ subscription.
It’s a good deal overall, even if the two ‘free’ months aren’t actually free at all if you go by Surfshark’s monthly price claims. The UK price above includes VAT, which is the other reason why it’s higher than the price you’ll initially see on Surfshark’s website.Buyers in the US will also have to pay local taxes on top of the price shown above.
However, Surfshark is a top VPN service, which doesn’t put a limit on the number of devices you can connect to the service at the same time, and has now had an audit of its no-logs policy, so it’s a better choice than ever before.
Private Internet Access two-year subscription
Private Internet Access is offering four free months on top of its three-year subscription. The monthly price shown on PIA’s site counts those extra ‘free’ months as if you paid for then – a cheeky way of making the monthly price look cheaper than it really is. But it’s a good deal overall for this trusted service: it’s one of few VPN services that have made the source code for its apps public so it can be scrutinised. Read our full PIA review for more details.
CyberGhost two-year subscription
CyberGhost is currently offering a two-year subscription with two extra months free at the end.
At this price, it’s a good deal for a VPN service that can unblock a lot of popular streaming services.CyberGhost has apps for Fire TV and Android TV, too, and lets you connect up to seven devices at the same time. It also has thousands of servers around the world.
Note that we’ve included UK VAT in the price shown above.
NordVPN two-year subscription
Right now NordVPN is offering a higher discount than usual, with three free months on top of its two-year subscription. It’s by no means the cheapest VPN service but because it is one of the best out there, it’s arguably worth paying more for.
It provides amazing speeds, loads of servers, unblocks streaming services, and has just done a third audit of its no-logs policy.
If you’re happy to compromise on features and speeds, you can get a similar length subscription from several other VPN services here for quite a bit less than NordVPN charges. But if you want the best, this is it.
Hidden24 two-year subscription
Hidden24 is a VPN service with a difference: it doesn’t require an app. It will suit anyone wanting a VPN for absolute privacy as it logs precisely nothing.Your device will need to support a VPN connection natively, but Windows, Android, iOS and macOS all do. Hidden24 is also a great option if don’t want to sign up for a year or two. It’s around half the cost of its rivals if you just want a VPN for a month.
Express VPN one-year subscription (3 months free)
From: ExpressVPN
Was: $155.40/£133.92 ($12.95/£11.16 a month)
Now: $99.95/£83.83 ($6.66/£5.59 a month) (49% off)
Get 49% off ExpressVPN, which is one of our favourite VPNs. When you click through to the deal, the monthly cost you see is the average cost when spread over 15 months.
How to find the best VPN deal for Mac
VPN subscriptions typically work out cheaper if you commit for a year or longer, which saves a lot of money. Prices rarely exceed $6/£6 per month with multi-year subscriptions and are often closer to $2/£2… or even less.
Many major VPN providers offer discounts through the year, and sometimes even offer permanent discounts. These discounts can look impressive at first. It’s not uncommon to see a countdown timer telling you when the deal ends – but these are almost always to induce FOMO – the fear of missing out – in order to persuade you to sign up immediately.
Large discounts are par for the course with VPN services, especially when you’re subscribing for several years. This makes it all the more important to look into the various providers and what each has to offer, before jumping into a long-term commitment.
All VPNs we’ve tested offer cross-device coverage too, so you can use them on your Mac, iPhone, iPad and more. We’ve separately rounded up the best iPhone VPNs and iPad VPNs.
Author: Karen Haslam, Managing Editor, Macworld
Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well as product recommendations and buying advice.