When shopping for a virtual private network (VPN), it’s common to encounter advertisements boasting massive discounts—often 80% or more off the “regular” subscription price. At first glance, these deals can seem like unbelievable bargains, but in many cases, the savings are not quite what they appear to be. Behind the flashy numbers and enticing offers, VPN companies often use a variety of tactics designed to make their services seem cheaper than they actually are, especially over the long term. Understanding these pricing strategies is crucial for consumers to avoid paying more than they expect and to find a VPN plan that truly fits their needs.
Running a VPN service is a complex and costly endeavor. These companies must cover significant expenses, including technical infrastructure, employee salaries, legal compliance, marketing, and maintaining global server networks. Because of these costs, it’s reasonable that subscribing to a VPN involves some financial commitment. However, many providers use pricing structures and promotional tactics that obscure the real cost of their services. This practice is not unique to VPNs; many industries use pricing tricks to influence consumer perception, such as pricing items at $9.99 instead of $10 to make them appear cheaper. But VPN companies are often particularly aggressive and sometimes borderline deceptive with how they present subscription prices.
One of the main ways VPN providers manipulate pricing is through the complexity of their subscription plans. These plans are deliberately designed and rigorously tested to steer customers toward specific options that maximize company profits while minimizing the apparent cost to the user. Usually, VPN pricing pages offer several subscription lengths—monthly, yearly, and two-year plans are common, with some companies offering six-month, three-year, or even “lifetime” subscriptions. Additionally, subscriptions may be bundled with extra services, which adds another layer of complexity.
The providers want customers to commit for the long term because longer subscriptions often yield better margins. To encourage this, they highlight certain plans on their pricing pages with labels like “Best value,” “Most popular,” or “Exclusive deal.” Sometimes, clicking on a cheaper monthly or short-term plan will trigger pop-up messages urging you to choose the longer-term plan, emphasizing bigger savings or other perks. These tactics are designed to nudge users toward paying upfront for one or two years—or more—rather than opting for a month-to-month plan.
A key trick involves how the prices are displayed. Long-term subscription costs are often broken down into a “monthly” rate to make the price look more affordable. For example, a two-year plan might be advertised as costing $1.99 per month, but this price is only valid because you pay for the entire two years upfront. Seeing $1.99 per month looks more appealing than seeing a lump sum of $55 or more. This framing lowers the psychological barrier to purchase but can mislead consumers who don’t realize the full upfront cost.
While it’s generally true that annual plans offer better value than paying monthly, most experts recommend not committing for more than one year at a time. The VPN industry is dynamic—companies are frequently bought or sold, network performance and streaming capabilities can fluctuate, privacy policies may change, and features can be added or removed. Locking yourself into a multi-year contract can reduce your flexibility to switch providers if these changes negatively impact your experience.
Monthly VPN plans are typically much more expensive than annual ones, often costing between $12 and $15 or more per month. Many experts believe these prices are artificially inflated. One reason providers keep monthly plans with such high rates is to create a high “regular” price baseline, which they then use to exaggerate the savings on longer-term plans. This anchoring effect makes the discounts on annual or multi-year subscriptions look more impressive than they truly are.
Surfshark is a prime example of these tactics in action. Its monthly subscription is priced around $15.45, which is significantly higher than what most people should pay for a VPN. Because of this inflated monthly rate, Surfshark can claim savings of 87% off the “regular” price when advertising its two-year plan at $54, which includes an extra three months free. However, these savings are misleading. The $54 price covers 27 months, but the “regular” price they compare it to is the $15.45 monthly rate multiplied by 27 months—about $417. Very few people would pay $417 upfront for a VPN subscription, and most users switch to a longer plan well before reaching 27 months. Thus,