The top VPN providers offer their premium services through a variety of subscription plans. These plans come with different subscription periods and prices. While the longer plans may seem more expensive at face value than even the best monthly plans, they often offer better value for money in the long term.
But opting for a long subscription plan may not be the best option for a lot of people, for different reasons. Firstly, a subscriber may only need a premium VPN one-off, for a short period of time. In that situation, it would not make much sense to hop on to a subscription that lasts for a year or more.
Furthermore, monthly VPN plans allow you to try out a VPN’s services long enough to make a decision on whether or not you want to commit to it.
A lot of the top VPNs offer a 30-day guarantee. But you still need to pay a fee to access this offer. Instead of stumping out a huge fee for a long subscription, you may decide to pay for the monthly plan first to test it out before settling.
Finally, if committing to a subscription plan for a year or two is simply not for you, then a monthly plan is the way to go. This way, you get more leeway to switch providers if you are dissatisfied at any point in time.
This is a list of the best monthly VPN plans you’ll find, tested extensively and routinely. The ranking is based on a combination of factors, notably pricing and quality of features.
The 10 Best Monthly VPNs
1. PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN does not have the largest network of servers around, but don’t let that fool you. In spite of that, it offers high speeds, great security features and reliability in connections.
It has a network of about 150 servers spanning over 60 countries around the world. While its connection speeds do not match those of some like NordVPN, you still get pretty fast speeds to ensure you can browse and stream comfortably.
PrivateVPN comes with servers that are optimized for streaming. You can bypass restrictions to access several streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Vudu, HBO, Disney+ and others. Its streaming-optimized servers are part of a dedicated profile with tags for sites that each server can grant access to. It is also friendly to P2P activity.
An industry standard AES 256-bit encryption technology protects your data from all prying eyes. For an extra level of security, there is a 2048-bit DH key. It also offers an automatic kill switch, DNS/IPv6 leak protection and a strict no logs policy.
It is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome, Safari, Firefox and some internet routers. You are allowed simultaneous connections on up to 6 devices from one account.
PrivateVPN’s monthly plan is budget-friendly. You’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee if you decide to get on it.
2. IPVanish
IPVanish offers fantastic value for your money if you decide to get on its monthly premium plan. It blends affordability with great features to produce a decent option for users only eyeing a short term VPN deal.
It has a network of over 1,300 servers spread across 55+ different locations around the world. You get great speeds while connecting to its servers for your browsing, streaming and downloads.
These high speeds can be put into good use if you enjoy streaming. With IPVanish, you can work around geo-restrictions to several streaming services to enjoy content that have been blocked to you. These services include Netflix US, Disney+, HBO, Sling TV, FOX Go and Vudu.
IPVanish embraces torrenting and it allows P2P activity on all its servers. They even offer set up tutorials for using their SOCKS5 proxy with Vuze and uTorrent. It comes with VPN obfuscation technology, to help you evade VPN blocks.
In terms of security, your data is protected with the AES 256-bit encryption. It has a kill switch to ensure that your data is not potentially leaked when there are interruptions in traffic. It also has IP leak protection.
A strict zero-logs policy is spelled out in their Privacy Policy. They do not store any traffic activity or connection logs to keep you fully anonymous.
Part of IPVanish’s great value for money is demonstrated in the simultaneous connections users are granted. It very generously allows unlimited devices to connect at the same time on one subscription.
It is compatible with Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, browsers and routers. You get a 30-day money back guarantee to try it out risk free.
3. Private Internet Access
PIA is another VPN service if you are on the lookout for the best monthly plans, with budget-friendly pricing and great security and connection features.
It has a huge network of servers, the largest on this list by some distance. You get access to over 22,715 servers spanning 99 locations in 77 countries around the world. This incredible array of servers means that you get blazing fast speeds and several others to choose from if a server goes down.
Unfortunately, PIA does not unblock access to Netflix, so that is something to watch out for. You can unblock other streaming platforms such as Hulu, HBO Go, ESPN, Crunchyroll and Disney+ though.
Private Internet Access is a great option for torrenting, allowing P2P activity on all of its servers, from any location. It supports popular BitTorrent clients like uTorrent and offers a SOCKS5 proxy.
Users are offered the security features that would be expected of a top VPN service. There is the AES 256-bit encryption for your data, with OpenVPN, SOCKS5, L2TP, and WireGuard protocols. There’s also a strict no-logs policy, so you don’t leave any data trails on their servers. PIA offers a split tunneling feature, so you can route some of your traffic through the VPN and others directly through your ISP.
PIA works with Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux and routers. You are allowed up to 10 simultaneous connections, which is above the industry standard. If you get on its monthly subscription plan, you will be eligible for a 30-day refund guarantee.
4. NordVPN
NordVPN is generally regarded as the top VPN service available on the market. It comes packed full with the top privacy and security features, and is lightning fast and reliable. Its monthly subscription plan comes at a competitive price too.
Users are offered a huge network of servers – over 5,500 in more than 60 countries around the world. Its servers connect you to the internet at incredible speeds. They are very reliable too, so you can carry out your internet activities with a peace of mind.
NordVPN is great for streaming. You can bypass a host of geo-blocked streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Player, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO, DAZN, Sling TV and many others. With its extremely fast speeds, you don’t need to worry about annoying lags and buffering as you stream.
It also supports torrenting and P2P activity. A large chunk of NordVPN’s servers are torrenting-optimized, allowing for safe, anonymous downloads and seeding.
When it comes to security, it does not lag behind any other alternative on the market. Your data is backed by the bank-level AES 256-bit encryption, which scrambles it to keep it safe and secure. It offers an array of security protocols, including OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec protocols.
Additionally, it comes with an automatic kill switch. This ensures that in cases of server interruptions, your data is not open to potential exposure. There’s also DNS and IP leak protection. A strict no-logs policy guarantees that your internet activity logs are not stored on their servers.
NordVPN is compatible with all of the major platforms – Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Chrome and Firefox browsers. It also has support for many internet routers.
Users are allowed up to 6 simultaneous connections on their devices on one account. If you decide to hop on the monthly plan, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is not the cheapest VPN around, but its powerful arsenal of features together with the discounts and coupons it regularly offers lands it on this list.
It comes with a large network of servers, more than 3000+ in 160 locations across 94 countries. It boasts connection speeds that are second to none in the industry, offering blazing fast connections to guarantee lag-free streaming and downloads.
You can enjoy those speeds while streaming as it unblocks a large number of streaming platforms. It helps users access blocked content on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and many others. In addition, it is great for torrenting. You can download and share on all of its servers.
ExpressVPN uses 256-bit encryption to secure your data from hackers and other agents. It comes with a kill switch to shut down connection in cases of a downtime and save your data from getting exposed. There is also a strict zero-logs policy, so no identifying logs are saved which can be traced back to you.
It is compatible with all of the major platforms. Users are allowed up to 5 device connections on the same account. There is also a 30-day money back guarantee to take advantage of, if you are not impressed. Unlikely, but still.
6. Surfshark
Surfshark comes with several relevant features which make it one to consider for a monthly subscription plan. You get fast speeds, reliable connections and powerful security features.
You have access to over 3,200 servers spread out across 65 locations to choose from. Its large network ensures that you get fast speeds for streaming, browsing and downloading. With Surfshark, you can enjoy content from geo-blocked libraries on such platforms as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, HBO Go, Hulu and Disney+.
It is a torrenting-friendly VPN, as it does not have any restrictions for P2P activities on any of its servers. There are also dedicated servers which are optimized for torrenting activities.
Surfshark comes with a variety of security features to protect your data and keep your internet activity private. There is 245-bit encryption, an automatic kill switch, and a strict no-logs policy.
In addition to that, it comes with DNS leak protection and an ad/malware blocker. For even more security, it adds a MultiHop feature which routes your traffic through more than one server at the same time.
Surfshark lets you connect an unlimited number of devices to one account at the same time.
You can use Surfshark on all of the regular platforms. To test its monthly subscription, you are backed by a 30-day money back guarantee.
7. CyberGhost
CyberGhost is an ideal choice for the VPN newbie, with its user-friendly interface and intuitive, easy to use applications. It makes sense that a beginner may want a monthly plan on their first foray, and this could just be the VPN for you.
With a large server network of more than 6,700 servers spanning over 90 countries, CyberGhost promises blazing fast speeds. Its servers are optimized for various purposes. So if you’re all about streaming or torrenting, you don’t need to go tinkering by trial and error. You simply pick a server from a dedicated profile in a location you prefer and connect.
It helps users bypass geo-blocks set up by Netflix, Vudu, BBC iPlayer, HBO Go, Crunchyroll and others.
CyberGhost has all the security features you’ll need to feel safe and anonymous online. You get the industry standard AES 256-bit encryption to keep your data encrypted, together with several protocol options.
There’s also DNS/IPv6 leak protection, an automatic kill switch to protect against accidental disconnections, a strict no-logs policy and a NAT firewall. The NAT Firewall protects your device from malicious hack attempts.
You can use CyberGhost on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, browsers and internet routers. While CyberGhost offers a 45-day refund policy on its long term plans, subscribers to the monthly plan are only given 14-days to make up their minds.
8. Windscribe
Windscribe is popular for having one of the best free plans in the VPN industry. It slides into this list because of its affordable pricing plus a unique offering that allows you to build a subscription plan.
That is the “Build a Plan” scheme. This option allows you to add different locations in addition to those that are available for free at $1 a location. Each location gives you an additional 10GB of data. An extra $1 upgrades you to unlimited data. The Build a Plan option is a budget-friendly custom subscription offer which can save you money.
Windscribe has a network of 180+ servers across more than 60 countries. It generally offers fast speeds, but can be inconsistent. In spite of its budget price, it can unblock Netflix US, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+ and HBO Go. Most of Windscribe’s servers allow torrenting.
For security and privacy, your data is protected by the top level AES 256-bit encryption. An automatic kill switch, a strict no-logs policy, DNS leak protection and a native ad and malware blocker make up its impressive security arsenal.
Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android users can all use Windscribe on their devices. It also works on browsers and routers. Windscribe offers unlimited simultaneous device connections on a single subscription. Unfortunately, it is not quite as generous with its refund policy. New users only get up to 3 days to make up their minds or get a refund.
9. ZenMate
ZenMate has a large network of servers, with more than 3,600 servers in 76 countries around the world. It is owned by the creators of CyberGhost, another VPN on this list. It works efficiently enough to unblock access to several streaming services including Netflix US, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ESPN and Showtime.
Torrenters are not left out. ZenMate offers a dedicated torrent profile, to ease torrent downloads and sharing. The profile groups its P2P-friendly servers, making it easier for you to locate and connect to one.
In addition to its decent pricing, ZenMate offers more value for money as it allows unlimited simultaneous connections. This is great for users with several devices and for entire households.
ZenMate uses the 256-bit encryption technology to safeguard your data on its desktop and mobile apps. This does not extend to the browser platforms, which have to make do with the 128-bit encryption.
The Windows client comes with a kill switch, which automatically blocks internet traffic to prevent data leaks when there is an interruption. It does not store user personal logs.
It has clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browsers and routers. You can test it out risk free, backed by its 30-day money back guarantee.
10. UltraVPN
UltraVPN is not the most popular VPN available and is not exactly packed filled with exciting or unique features. Still, it performs well at the basics, and offers a decently priced monthly premium plan.
It comes with the smallest network of servers on this list, with just over 100 servers in 14 different countries. Its servers offer fast speeds though, ensuring lag-free streaming, torrenting and gaming. It impressively unblocks Netflix US, together with Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video and others. All of its servers support P2P activity.
UltraVPN’s security features are just about standard. There’s a 256-bit encryption for your data protection, with strong OpenVPN and IKEv2 encryption. A firewall, which is similar to a kill switch, automatically shuts down your connection if there is an interruption.
Users are allowed up to 6 simultaneous connections on one account. UltraVPN has clients for Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, Android, browsers and routers. For testing it out, you get both a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money back guarantee.
FAQs
Are VPNs legal to use?
In most countries in the world, using a VPN is perfectly legal. A few countries though have strict bans or some sort of restriction on VPN in accordance with their internet censorship laws. These countries include China, Russia, Turkey, Iraq, and the UAE.
What does a VPN cost on average per month?
VPNs range in pricing as a result of several factors. While there are bargains to be found, generally, the top VPNs cost significantly more than lower-rated options. On average, the price for a monthly VPN subscription hovers between