VPN deals for December 2023 - get the best price on privacy and unblocking

Best VPN deals - quick list

Multiple devices running VPN apps with VPN deals next to them

(Image credit: Future)

1. NordVPN: 69% off and a free Amazon gift card
2. Surfshark:
80% off + 5 months free
3. Private Internet Access:
86% off + 4 months free
4. PureVPN:
85% off or get 2-for-1 on a 2-year plan
5. ExpressVPN:
49% off + 3 months free

As the best VPN services battle it out to get your business, they're constantly undercutting each other's prices and offerings to give you the best VPN deal. Because these prices are always changing, we've pulled together the biggest savings and the best deals on VPNs for December. However, as another year draws to a close, don't miss out on the awesome Cyber Monday VPN deals cropping up.

But there's more to picking a VPN than just price, which is why we've only included services that our experts have tested and recommend for everyday use. Whether you just want your virtual private network (VPN) to protect your privacy, watch Netflix on holiday, catch international sports coverage, or just remain anonymous while you surf online, you're bound to find the perfect VPN deal for you in our list of bargains. 

If you're outside the US, don't let the $ signs put you off. That's just how most providers display their pricing—you can still subscribe from anywhere in the world. Don't overpay for protection. Check out the 10 best VPN deals today:

The best VPN deals in December 2023

1. NordVPN: 69% off and a free Amazon gift card
NordVPN's Cyber Monday deal is, quite frankly, hard to beat—there's never been a better time to try the fastest VPN around. Pick up a 2-year plan and save a massive 69%, and TechRadar readers will also get an exclusive (and free) Amazon gift card

1. NordVPN: 69% off and a free Amazon gift card
NordVPN's Cyber Monday deal is, quite frankly, hard to beat—there's never been a better time to try the fastest VPN around. Pick up a 2-year plan and save a massive 69%, and TechRadar readers will also get an exclusive (and free) Amazon gift card worth up to $30/£30/30€.

At $2.99 per month, it's a fantastic price point considering you also get a built-in ad blocker and antivirus for no extra cost. Take advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee to see why I also rate it as the #1 Netflix VPN.

Find out more in our in-depth NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark: 80% off + 5 months free

2. Surfshark: 80% off + 5 months free
Surfshark comes in at a very close second thanks to its eye-catching combo of super reasonable pricing (it's an easy pick at the top of our best cheap VPN chart) and excellent quality.

Surfshark throws in an extra five months for free if you opt for its full security suite. If you're looking for a real Cyber Monday steal, however, you can still bag the basic VPN plan for $1.99 (and still get an extra three months of coverage.)

Learn more in our comprehensive Surfshark VPN review.

3. Private Internet Access: 86% off + 4 months free | $11.95 $2.03 per month | 86% saving
Private Internet Access boasts a huge 20k+ server count and is constantly improving its UX and feature list—so you won't want to miss out on its massive 86% saving just in time for Cyber Monday. At just $2.03 per month

3. Private Internet Access: 86% off + 4 months free | $11.95 $2.03 per month | 86% saving
Private Internet Access boasts a huge 20k+ server count and is constantly improving its UX and feature list—so you won't want to miss out on its massive 86% saving just in time for Cyber Monday. At just $2.03 per month, that's an absolute steal.

Find out how it compares to ExpressVPN and NordVPN in our Private Internet Access VPN review.

4. PureVPN: 85% off at just $1.83 per month
PureVPN isn't quite as powerful as the likes of ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but it's a reliable VPN, and its prices certainly catch the eye. What's more, you can currently get a ridiculous deal on a 5-year plan at just $1.83 per month

4. PureVPN: 85% off at just $1.83 per month
PureVPN isn't quite as powerful as the likes of ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but it's a reliable VPN, and its prices certainly catch the eye. What's more, you can currently get a ridiculous deal on a 5-year plan at just $1.83 per month—it doesn't get much better than that. 

Check out our PureVPN review for more details.

5. ExpressVPN: 49%off  + 3 months free$6.67 per month

5. ExpressVPN: 49%off  + 3 months free
TechRadar's #1 trusted VPN for privacy and unblocking content worldwide. Get 15 months for the price of 12, and 1 year of unlimited cloud backup from Backblaze, too, all for just $6.67 per month. Fantastic value on a fantastic pair of products—plus a 30-day money-back guarantee to try them out without risking a penny.

See what makes it our go-to VPN in our ExpressVPN review.

Recent updates

Every month I check through the top VPN services to bring you the best savings and deals around. I compare the cost, features on offer, subscription length, server locations, speeds, ease of use, and any other goodies, and weigh them up to see which is the best value for money, and the biggest genuine saving.

VPN deals: best of the rest

6. CyberGhost: 83% off + 4 months free 
CyberGhost is a beginner-friendly VPN that cuts costs significantly. Sign up for 24 months and it will chuck in an extra 2 for free, meaning that the effective cost comes down to a rather spectacular $2.03 per month

6. CyberGhost: 83% off + 4 months free
CyberGhost is a beginner-friendly VPN that cuts costs significantly. Sign up for 24 months and it will chuck in an extra 2 for free, meaning that the effective cost comes down to a rather spectacular $2.03 per month.

See our CyberGhost VPN review for more info.

7. IPVanish: 81%  off + 3 months free
While IPVanish isn't always regarded as the cheapest out there, the introductory offer on its one-year plan is actually pretty attractive at the moment. You pay just  $2.49 per month

7. IPVanish: 81%  off + 3 months free
While IPVanish isn't always regarded as the cheapest out there, the introductory offer on its one-year plan is actually pretty attractive at the moment. You pay just  $2.49 per month—a bargain price for a provider with some of the fastest WireGuard connection speeds around.

Read our IPVanish VPN review to see whether it suits your needs.

8. Hide.me VPN: 78% off + 3 months free
at just $2.22 per month

8. Hide.me VPN: 78% off + 3 months free
at just $2.22 per month, this Hide.me offer will get you a full two years of solid VPN action plus an additional 3 months free—but this Cyber Monday deal is only available until November 30. Alternatively, Hide.me offers a decent free VPN so you can try before you buy.

Check out our Hide.me VPN review to see whether it's the right service for you.

9. AtlasVPN: 86% off + 6 months free
The latest AtlasVPN sale cut the price of its multi-year plan and threw in an extra 3 months free. The result is a VPN deal for $71.52 for 40 months of use and an effective monthly rate of $1.70

9. AtlasVPN: 86% off + 6 months free
The latest AtlasVPN sale cut the price of its multi-year plan and threw in an extra 3 months free. The result is a VPN deal for $71.52 for 40 months of use and an effective monthly rate of $1.70.

Check out our AtlasVPN review to see how it compares with NordVPN and Surfshark.

10. FastestVPN: 93% off lifetime coverage

10. FastestVPN: 93% off lifetime coverage
FastestVPN has some of the most aggressive price points around, and its current lifetime plan is just $40, less than you'd pay for 4 months with some of the competition. It also includes a free ad blocker and malware protection. 

It's a shame however that in our testing we found below-average speeds, disappointing support, a thin privacy policy, and a poor show on unblocking geo-restricted streaming. That said, AltiusIT's recent audit of FastestVPN was a positive indicator that the app takes privacy seriously.

▶ See our FastestVPN review for more details.

11. PrivadoVPN: 90% off + 3 months free
PrivadoVPN is my favorite up-and-coming VPN provider to emerge over the past few years. It goes from strength to strength and always invests in its users before its marketing. Don't believe me? See for yourself why it's so good with a 2-year subscription + 3 months free for just $1.11 per month

11. PrivadoVPN: 90% off + 3 months free
PrivadoVPN is my favorite up-and-coming VPN provider to emerge over the past few years. It goes from strength to strength and always invests in its users before its marketing. Don't believe me? See for yourself why it's so good with a 2-year subscription + 3 months free for just $1.11 per month and take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee.

▶ See our PrivadoVPN review for more details.

12. Proton VPN: up to 60% off
ProtonVPN is a long-standing favorite of the VPN community and is constantly innovating amazing tools for its security suite. This Cyber Monday, Proton dropped its price to $3.99 per month

12. Proton VPN: up to 60% off
ProtonVPN is a long-standing favorite of the VPN community and is constantly innovating amazing tools for its security suite. This Cyber Monday, Proton dropped its price to $3.99 per month, which is absolutely fantastic. Alternatively, you can get Proton Unlimited at 33% off and use all of Proton's security tools (secure email, password manager, calendar, cloud storage, and VPN) for just $8.69 per month.

▶ See our Proton VPN review for more details.

13. NordLayer: 22% off business VPNs
NordVPN's business alternative. For as little as $8 per user per month

13. NordLayer: 22% off business VPNs
NordVPN's business alternative. For as little as $8 per user per month, it's a phenomenal option for businesses looking to get one of the best business VPNs on Cyber Monday.

Check out our NordLayer review for more details.

14. Perimeter 81: 20% off business VPNs
From just $8 per user per month

14. Perimeter 81: 20% off business VPNs
From just $8 per user per month, you can get my go-to business VPN. Offering an enormous array of management tools, zero-trust network access capabilities, and so much more, all with immense support and speedy implementation.

Check out our Perimeter 81 review for more details.

Still not cheap enough?

We get it, in a cost-of-living crisis, VPNs can be a luxury. Have a look at our list of the best free VPN services and see why PrivadoVPN is our go-to solution when we don't have a budget.

What is a VPN?

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a service typically called a client that is used to help protect your online identity. This is done with the use of encryption. Encryption scrambles the data being sent from your computer and being received from the pages your visit, so it's virtually impossible to track what you're doing including who you're chatting with and browser history.

Each VPN service provides a no-log policy. While the VPN client doesn't track your online activity, the best VPN services also promised to never keep identifying information on you, including account information like your name, address, or banking information. This is so you can remain anonymous from physical prying eyes, too.

In addition to encryption, VPNs use secured servers to hide your physical location. When you connect to the internet, your device has a unique IP address that identifies where you are located. Using a VPN server gives you a different IP address each time, so it's impossible to trace online activity back to you.

Another perk of using VPN servers is being able to access geo-restricted content. This is especially important if you travel internationally. Since your IP address tells where you are located, some countries won't allow you to access web pages if you're not locally there. Choosing a VPN server in your home country lets you continue to access the web content you need.

How to choose a VPN service

VPNs seem to be all the same, but there are significant differences, and not just where prices are concerned. While each one should give you enough privacy for you to feel safe online, there are some that fall short of the task.

At TechRadar, we have a team of VPN experts that dive deep into physically testing these VPN services, combing through the on-log policies, and keeping an eye on any extra tools or features that are added. And we do this several times each year. 

Learn more

Check out our dedicated buying guides to find out which service suits you best:

Best VPN apps
Best Windows VPN for PC
Best Mac VPN
Best VPN for streaming
Best torrenting VPN

After over 15 years of reviewing, testing, researching, and evaluating VPNs, we know what to look for. Here are some of the most important functions your VPN should have.

Security: This one is obvious. A VPNs primary function is to keep you safe. But it's hard to tell just how secure a VPN really is. That's why we have an amazing testing team that has a technical background and knows how to thoroughly test VPNs. We won't recommend one that is unsafe to use.

One important security feature included with VPNs is a kill switch. This will sever your internet connection if the VPN is ever compromised. One of the reasons ExpressVPN is our top pick is that we've seen firsthand how well it quickly engages its kill switch at the first inkling of trouble.

Privacy Policy: It doesn't do you any good to use a VPN if your digital and physical identities aren't protected. This is why a VPN no-log policy is so important. Many software and technology companies will keep some kind of identifying information on you just in case law enforcement comes asking about you. 

One of the reasons ExpressVPN is our top pick is that we've seen firsthand how well it quickly engages its kill switch at the first inkling of trouble.

Unless the VPN is based in a country that is part of the Five Eyes Alliance, the VPNs we recommend won't store any of your data, period. In fact, some VPNs subject themselves to third-party security screenings to prove just how secure they are.

Speed: Speed is more than just how quickly you connect to the VPN server. It represents how quickly your data is encrypted and sent back and forth from the VPN server. While there are a lot of reasons why speeds may fluctuate, we tested and retested connections using both the newest WireGuard and commonly used OpenVPN protocols.

On top of being the cheapest VPN, Surfshark is also one of the fastest with an impressive top speed of over 950 Mbps. This makes it excellent for torrenting (sending person-to-person files), and for tapping into TV streaming services.

Servers: One factor that determines a VPN's speed is the number of servers and server locations. In theory, the more there are the faster speeds you'll have. This is because a single server won't be packed with too many users.

Server locations are especially important if you travel internationally. This is because if there are servers in your home country, you'll be able to continue to access your favorite web pages without geo-restrictions. We have VPN buying guides for just about every location including US VPNs, Canada VPNs, UK VPNs, and even China VPNs.

Streaming capabilities: One of the most commonly geo-restricted content is TV streaming services. This is because platforms, like Netflix, don't want you to watch content outside of your viewing area. However, if you travel and use a VPN server in your home location, you can still log into your online streaming accounts and watch your favorite shows without a problem.

As part of our testing, we make sure to try and tap into various streaming accounts, so we can tell you which VPNs are the best for watching Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, the BBC, and many others, regardless of which country your account is located in. Check out our recommendations for the best streaming VPNs to see which apps unblock your favorite shows.

How I choose my VPN deals

There are hundreds of VPN services on the market right now, and just because they're there, doesn't mean they're worth using. I only include services that I would genuinely recommend to my family and friends on this list—if I wouldn't trust it with the people I love using it, how could I justify recommending it to you?

I test VPNs every single day, and I've lived and breathed them for the past three years (nearly four). A deal is only included in one of my pages if it meets all of the following criteria:

  • It's a VPN I have actually tested: I wouldn't recommend something I've never had my hands on.
  • It's a reliable service: you can trust it to keep you and your loved ones safe online.
  • It's a price I would genuinely pay for it: if I don't think the price being asked is worthy of the service, then it's not going on my list. If I wouldn't pay for it, why should you?
Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.