NordVPN alternatives
What NordVPN costs today: £2.59/mo. site ↗pricing ↗
Below are the 3 other vpn tools we track daily, cheapest entry first — each one written up from what our record actually holds, with a link to its own site and pricing page. Where we have written a full comparison, the name links to it.
The alternatives, tool by tool
Surfsharksite ↗pricing ↗
Paid plans start at £1.79/mo (Surfshark Starter); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 3 paid tiers, topping out at £3.29/mo (Surfshark One+). It bills by country — entry $2.49/mo to a US reader and €2.49/mo in the eurozone, from our same-day reads.
ExpressVPNsite ↗pricing ↗
Paid plans start at £2.19/mo (Basic); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 3 paid tiers, topping out at £5.49/mo (Express Pro). It bills by country — entry $2.99/mo to a US reader and €2.49/mo in the eurozone, from our same-day reads. Its published prices moved on 2026-08-27 — the change log holds the rows.
Proton VPNsite ↗pricing ↗
Paid plans start at £7.99/mo (VPN Plus); a free plan exists. The ladder we hold runs 2 paid tiers, topping out at £10.39/mo (Proton Unlimited). It bills by country — entry $9.99/mo to a US reader and €9.99/mo in the eurozone, from our same-day reads. Its published prices moved on 2026-08-28 — the change log holds the rows. Publishes a real free plan; its paid ladder only renders in a browser session, which is how we read it.
Side by side
| Tool | Paid from | Free plan | Currency | Read | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | £1.79/mo | — | GBP | 2026-08-29 | page |
| ExpressVPN | £2.19/mo | — | GBP | 2026-08-29 | page |
| Proton VPN | £7.99/mo | Yes | GBP | 2026-08-29 | page |
How to choose in this category
- The intro price is not the price — renewal rates run higher and commitment terms stretch past two years in this set.
- Compare the renewal row, not the banner figure.
- A refund window is not a free tier — look for a plan actually priced at zero.