The #1 Mistake People Make Choosing a VPN—and How to Avoid It

You wouldn’t sign a lease on a new car before test-driving it, right? The same should be true when choosing a VPN. Yes, you can often get a better price on a long-term plan, but that doesn’t mean you should sign up for one out of the gate.

When shopping for VPNs, you’re often presented with limited-time deals and pressured into thinking that once they expire, they’ll be gone forever—all you need to do is lock in one, two, or three years right now to save big. Don’t do this. I can assure you, those deals will definitely come back around if you don’t sign up now, and you don’t want to be stuck with a multi-year subscription plan for a service you don’t like.

Monthly vs. Yearly VPN Plans

Now, let me be clear: Annual or multi-year VPN plans aren’t inherently bad. You can definitely snag a good deal if you know the service is right for you. Just keep in mind that the best option for you now may not be the same one, two, or three years down the line.

For example, companies can change hands. Small VPNs can get acquired by bigger ones. Governments can issue restrictive laws and content bans. The privacy landscape is a tumultuous one. You want to be able to adapt to these frequent shifts, and it’s not easy to do that when you’re locked into a three-year plan for a service that suddenly no longer works in your country. This reasoning especially applies to any so-called lifetime VPN subscriptions.

Yes, monthly plans are more expensive; companies price them high to direct you toward the long-term plans. But personally, I prefer the flexibility and security of a monthly subscription, and urge you to consider the same.

3 Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing a VPN

The good news is that there are many VPNs out there, and we’re here to test them and tell you which ones are worth it. Our list of the best cheap VPNs is a good place to start for newbies and anyone else looking to save money. While we can help narrow down your search and point you to the top deals, the rest is up to you, so be sure to keep the following in mind when shopping:

1. Don’t Give in to the False Sense of Urgency 

Time isn’t running out, and limited-time deals will almost certainly be back again soon. While this tactic isn’t unique to VPNs, it is fairly pervasive among many of the top services. Just keep in mind that these “limited” promotions are anything but. A quick search online is sure to return scores of promo codes, and you can keep an eye on our page for the best VPN deals as we find them.

2. Take Advantage of the Trial Period

This goes hand-in-hand with the above. Don’t skip the trial period or free version just because a deal flashes urgent graphics at you. Most services offer a 30- or 45-day money-back guarantee, and some even have free plans that might offer all you need.

3. Check Out Services That Don’t Offer Long-Term Discounts

The surefire way to avoid FOMO over long-term deal pricing is to go with a provider that doesn’t engage in those sales tactics. Mullvad is one of our favorite VPNs in part because it has a straightforward, no-nonsense approach to pricing that’s transparent and easy to understand.

About Justyn Newman

Senior Security Analyst

I’ve been writing about technology since 2012, focusing on privacy. With companies vying for user data, AI skimming it for tools, and countless bad actors seeking to exploit it, safeguarding the information we put onto the internet is more important than ever. I have always been passionate about protecting user privacy, data, and anonymity. Prior to joining PCMag as a senior analyst to cover VPNs, I was the lead editorial manager at WizCase, where I spent four years honing in on the finer details of privacy networks and tools.

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