The VPN Price You See Is Not the One You Pay

Update, 8 November 2026. All three providers now carry Black Friday offers, which cut the introductory rates on NordVPN Complete and Prime, ExpressVPN Advanced and Pro, and Surfshark Starter and One+; every renewal price is unchanged, so the gap is now 2.3 to 4.6 times. NordVPN’s 1-year plans now run 15 months for a higher first charge, and its US page still offers no plan longer than two years.

Update, 18 October 2026. We re-read every price on the providers’ own pages today. NordVPN’s and ExpressVPN’s two-year figures are unchanged from 5 September. Added: Surfshark, ExpressVPN’s 12-month plans, NordVPN’s 1-year plans, and NordVPN’s separate renewal-price list. Corrected: we said neither provider conceals its renewal price; that still holds for these two, but Surfshark keeps its renewal figures off its pricing cards.

After its first two years, which are really 27 months, NordVPN renews at $139.08 a year for Basic, $219.48 for Complete and $296.28 for Prime in the US, before tax. That is $11.59 to $24.69 a month, against an advertised $3.49 to $6.99: a renewal price 3.3 to 4.6 times the intro rate.

ExpressVPN and Surfshark follow the same pattern. On their two-year plans, every tier at all three renews at between 2.3 and 4.6 times the monthly rate on the front page.

NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN also leave the renewal charge outside their money-back guarantees; what each VPN’s refund terms cover sets out the rules provider by provider.

What each tier renews at after the intro term

	Advertised (2-year plan)	First term	Renews at	Per month	Multiple
NordVPN Basic	$3.49	$94.23 / 27 months	$139.08/yr	$11.59	3.3×
NordVPN Complete	$3.99	$107.73 / 27 months	$219.48/yr	$18.29	4.6×
NordVPN Prime	$6.99	$188.73 / 27 months	$296.28/yr	$24.69	3.5×
ExpressVPN Basic	$2.99	$83.72 / 28 months	$99.95/yr	$8.33	2.8×
ExpressVPN Advanced	$4.19	$117.32 / 28 months	$119.95/yr	$10.00	2.4×
ExpressVPN Pro	$7.19	$201.32 / 28 months	$199.95/yr	$16.66	2.3×
Surfshark Starter	$2.19	$59.13 / 27 months	$79.00/yr	$6.58	3.0×
Surfshark One	$2.49	$67.23 / 27 months	$99.00/yr	$8.25	3.3×
Surfshark One+	$3.99	$107.73 / 27 months	$119.00/yr	$9.92	2.5×

Each provider’s own US figures, before tax, read 8 November 2026. The advertised rate is the first-term charge divided by its months, which is the providers’ arithmetic; the renewal rate is the annual figure divided by twelve. All three pages carried a Black Friday label that day, so the introductory rates are sale prices; the renewal figures are the standard ones, and none of them moved from 18 October. A deeper sale makes the multiple larger, not the renewal.

The shorter plans renew at the same price

Picking a shorter first term changes the opening price, not the renewal. NordVPN’s 1-year plans now include three extra months and cost $74.85, $89.85 and $134.85 for the first 15 months (on 18 October they were $65.88, $77.88 and $113.88 for 12), then renew at the same $139.08, $219.48 and $296.28. ExpressVPN’s 12-month plans cost the same $74.85, $89.85 and $134.85 for the first 15 months, then renew at the same $99.95, $119.95 and $199.95.

Going month to month avoids the jump but costs more from the start: NordVPN lists $14.99, $19.99 and $29.99 a month, and ExpressVPN lists $14.99, $16.99 and $22.99.

Compare on the renewal, not the advertised rate

Line NordVPN and ExpressVPN up on their advertised rates and ExpressVPN Basic looks cheaper, $2.99 against $3.49. Line them up on what they renew at and the gap widens: $99.95 a year against $139.08.

That is a 39 per cent difference on the number you pay for as long as you keep the service past its first term, behind a 50 cent difference on the number the page leads with. Surfshark Starter renews lowest of the nine tiers here, at $79 a year, though its plans bundle different extras from the other two, so the tiers are not like for like.

If a free plan’s limits are enough for you, it renews at nothing: what each free VPN plan limits sets out the data, country and device caps.

The first term runs past two years

ExpressVPN bills its two-year plans for the first 28 months. NordVPN and Surfshark bill for the first 27. None of them is a two-year plan in the sense of a term that ends after two years; each is a discounted opening period followed by an annual renewal at a different price.

The practical effect is that the renewal lands more than two years after the purchase, long enough that the renewal can arrive without the original offer in mind. NordVPN says it charges up to 14 days before the renewal date and emails first on plans longer than a month; Surfshark says it emails 30 days before the term ends.

The renewal price can move too

Both NordVPN and Surfshark state that they may A/B test the renewal prices they display, and NordVPN’s terms say renewal prices “may be higher than the introductory prices and are subject to change”. So the figure on the page when you buy is the current renewal, not a promise for year three. Nord’s list was last updated on 9 June 2026; its US figures match what its pricing page showed on all three of our reads.

Why the size matters

Introductory pricing is ordinary and disclosed, and NordVPN and ExpressVPN print the renewal on the same card as the offer, in smaller type. What makes it worth writing down is the size: from 2.3× to 4.6× across these nine tiers, and the advertised number applies for the shortest part of the relationship if you stay past the first term. This page takes no view on whether any of these services is worth its renewal price, because that would need testing we have not done.

What to do

• Write down the renewal figure before you subscribe, not the monthly one. NordVPN and ExpressVPN print it on the card; for Surfshark, it is on the renewal prices page linked from its pricing FAQ.
• Compare providers on renewal, not just the advertised rate. On NordVPN and ExpressVPN, the order flips when you do.
• Put a reminder a month before the first term ends. Twenty-seven months is a long time to keep a date in mind, and NordVPN may charge up to 14 days early.
• Treat a sale-season VPN offer as a discount on the first term. A deeper introductory price does not move the renewal, which is the number that decides what the service costs you after that.
• Decide whether you need one at all first. Our explainer on why a VPN slows your internet sets out what the technology does and does not do for you.

Questions people ask

How much is NordVPN after 2 years?

In the US, before tax, NordVPN renews at $139.08 a year for Basic, $219.48 for Complete and $296.28 for Prime once its 27-month first term ends. That is $11.59 to $24.69 a month, against the $3.49 to $6.99 it advertised on 8 November 2026.

Does NordVPN raise its price at renewal?

Yes. The introductory price covers the first term only. NordVPN Basic goes from $94.23 for 27 months to $139.08 a year, which takes the monthly rate from $3.49 to $11.59. Its terms also say renewal prices are subject to change, with an email before a charge on plans longer than a month.

What is NordVPN’s renewal price?

Nord’s own Subscription Renewal Prices page, last updated 9 June 2026, lists US renewals of $139.08 a year for Basic, $219.48 for Complete and $296.28 for Prime. The 1-year plans renew at the same figures as the 2-year plans.

Is there a NordVPN 3-year plan for $89?

Not on NordVPN’s US pricing page on 8 November 2026, which offers 2-year, 1-year and 1-month plans. The nearest figure is $89.85, the first 15 months of the 1-year Complete plan. Basic’s 2-year plan runs 27 months; keeping it into a third year adds one renewal at $139.08, so $233.31 before tax for 39 months.

How much is ExpressVPN after the first term?

ExpressVPN renews at $99.95 a year for Basic, $119.95 for Advanced and $199.95 for Pro, after a first term of 28 months on its two-year plans or 15 months on its 12-month plans.

How much does Surfshark cost after 2 years?

Surfshark’s renewal prices page lists $79 a year for Starter, $99 for One and $119 for One+ in the US, before tax, after a 27-month first term. Its pricing cards do not show these figures.