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ToolGPA

Price against what you get

Best-value VPNs

Going by our grades, Surfshark, hide.me and PrivadoVPN give the most for the money among VPNs: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $5 a month across the 16 that charge, from $1.11 (PrivadoVPN) to $11.59 (NordVPN). 3 of the 16 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 2 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

Set price against

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0$1$2$5$10$20More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessSurfsharkhide.mePrivadoVPNMullvad VPNMozilla VPN

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • Nothing scores higher without costing more
  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
16 of the 17 VPNs in this directory. Scores are ToolGPA’s own grades; prices are each vendor’s own, read up to Oct 17, 2026. The lines cross at the middle starting price ($5) and the average score (2.8). The data as JSON · The chart as a picture
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Paste this where you want it. The picture links back here and is redrawn whenever a price or a grade changes. Use it freely, with the link left in.

<a href="https://toolgpa.com/charts/vpn"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/charts/vpn/chart.svg" alt="16 VPNs by starting price and by ToolGPA score" width="1200" height="675" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>

The best at every price

Each step is the highest score VPNs reach at that price or below. Nothing on the chart beats these without costing more.

  1. $1.11

    a month to start · scores 2.7 of 4

    • PrivadoVPN$1.11 per month for a first 27 months (24-month plan); renewal price not statedBCB

  2. $2.69

    a month to start · scores 3.0 of 4

    • hide.me$2.69 per month, billed $69.99 every 26 months at the same price on renewalBBB

  3. $6.58

    a month to start · scores 3.3 of 4

    • Surfshark$79 per year at renewal (Starter), after a first 27 months for $67.23BAB

Paying more for less

The VPNs that the most others beat on both counts: a higher score and a lower starting price.

  1. Mullvad VPNStarts at about $5.60 a month and scores 2.3 of 4.8 of 15 score higher for lessCCB
  2. Mozilla VPNStarts at $4.99 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 of 4.7 of 15 score higher for lessCDB
  3. IVPNStarts at $5 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 of 4.3 of 15 score higher for lessCBB
  4. CyberGhostStarts at $4.74 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 of 4.3 of 15 score higher for lessBCB
  5. PureVPNStarts at $4 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 of 4.3 of 15 score higher for lessBCB

A high starting price often means a product is sold to companies and has no small plan, and a score is three letters, not the whole product. Read a tool’s own page before ruling it out.

The four quarters

Where the tools fall when the chart is cut at the middle price and the average score.

More for less3

Each scores above the category's average and starts at or below its middle price.

hide.me, Windscribe, Private Internet Access

Costs more, scores more6

Each scores above the average and starts above the middle price.

Surfshark, NordVPN, Proton VPN, Hotspot Shield, ExpressVPN, IPVanish

Costs less, scores less5

Each scores below the average and starts at or below the middle price.

PrivadoVPN, TunnelBear, PureVPN, CyberGhost, Mozilla VPN

Costs more, scores less2

Each scores below the average and starts above the middle price.

IVPN, Mullvad VPN

All 16 on the chart

Highest score first, then lowest price. The last column counts the tools that score higher and start lower.

#ToolScoreFeatures, ease, platformsA monthAs its listing states itScore higher for less
1Surfshark3.3BAB$6.58$79 per year at renewal (Starter), after a first 27 months for $67.23None
2NordVPN3.3BAB$11.59$139.08 per year at renewal (Basic 1-year plan)None
3hide.me3.0BBB$2.69$2.69 per month, billed $69.99 every 26 months at the same price on renewalNone
4Windscribe3.0BBB$3$3 per month for 3 locations (Build A Plan)None
5Private Internet Access3.0BBB$3.99$47.88 per year (1 Year plan, the same price at renewal)None
6Proton VPN3.0BBB$6.99$83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.881
7Hotspot Shield3.0BBB$8$95.99 per year at renewal (Premium), after a first year for $291
8ExpressVPN3.0BBB$8.33$99.95 per year at renewal (Basic), after a first 15 months for $74.851
9IPVanish3.0BBB$8.33$99.99 per year at renewal (Essential), after a first 2 years for $52.561
10PrivadoVPN2.7BCB$1.11$1.11 per month for a first 27 months (24-month plan); renewal price not statedNone
11TunnelBear2.7CBB$3.33$3.33 per month on the 3-year Unlimited plan ($120 paid once)2
12PureVPN2.7BCB$4$47.95 per year at renewal (Standard), after a first 27 months for $58.203
13CyberGhost2.7BCB$4.74$56.94 per year at renewal, after a first 26 months for $56.943
14IVPN2.7CBB$5$60 per year (Standard), also sold at $6 a month or $2 a week3
15Mullvad VPN2.3CCB$5.60€5 per month, the same rate for any length paid ahead8
16Mozilla VPN2.0CDB$4.99$59.88 per year (Annual plan, $4.99 a month), plus tax7

How VPNs grade

Every bar is all the VPNs we grade, cut by the letter each got on that count.

  • Value for moneyaverage 2.4
  • Free plan and trialaverage 1.1
  • Featuresaverage 2.7
  • Ease of useaverage 2.7
  • Platforms and integrationsaverage 3.0

An A is worth 4 and an F nothing. C is the ordinary grade. Every vpns grade in one table

Not on the chart

Sold for a single payment, or with no public price that can be put as dollars a month. They are graded like the rest.

Common questions

Which VPNs give the most for the money?

Surfshark, hide.me and PrivadoVPN. Each is the highest-scoring tool at its price or below: PrivadoVPN scores 2.7 out of 4 and starts at $1.11 a month; hide.me scores 3.0 out of 4 and starts at $2.69 a month; Surfshark scores 3.3 out of 4 and starts at $6.58 a month when paid by the year. This goes by ToolGPA's own grades for features, ease of use and platforms, averaged out of 4, set against the price each tool's paid plans start at.

Which VPNs are best for under $5 a month?

hide.me, Windscribe and Private Internet Access, with a score of 3.0 out of 4: the highest among the 9 that start at $5 a month or less. hide.me starts at $2.69 a month; Windscribe starts at $3 a month; Private Internet Access starts at $3.99 a month when paid by the year.

Which VPNs are best for under $10 a month?

Surfshark, with a score of 3.3 out of 4: the highest among the 15 that start at $10 a month or less. Surfshark starts at $6.58 a month when paid by the year.

Which VPNs are best for under $20 a month?

Surfshark and NordVPN, with a score of 3.3 out of 4: the highest among the 16 that start at $20 a month or less. Surfshark starts at $6.58 a month when paid by the year; NordVPN starts at $11.59 a month when paid by the year.

Which VPNs cost the most for what they offer?

On this chart, Mullvad VPN (starts at about $5.60 a month, scores 2.3 out of 4, and 8 tools score higher for less), Mozilla VPN (starts at $4.99 a month when paid by the year, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 7 tools score higher for less) and IVPN (starts at $5 a month when paid by the year, scores 2.7 out of 4, and 3 tools score higher for less). A high starting price often means a product is sold to companies and has no small plan, so check what the price includes before ruling one out.

How much do VPNs cost?

The middle starting price is $5 a month: half of the 16 VPNs with a recurring price start below that and half above. 0 of the 17 in this directory have no paid plan, and 6 of those that charge also have a free plan.

How is the score on this chart worked out?

It is the average of three of the five grades ToolGPA gives every tool: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations, with an A worth 4 and an F worth 0. The other two grades, value for money and the free plan, are about price, so they are left out and price gets an axis of its own. 16 of the 17 VPNs are on the chart; 1 are left off because they are sold for a single payment or publish no price that can be put as dollars a month.

How this chart is made

  • The score is the average of three of a tool’s five grades: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations. An A is 4 points and an F none. Value for money and the free plan are left out because they are about price, and price has an axis of its own.
  • The price is what paid plans start at, in dollars a month, on the cheapest way of paying the listing names. A yearly price is divided by twelve, and a price in another currency is converted. A price for each person is shown for one person.
  • A tool with no paid plan sits in the band marked Free. A tool with a free plan beside paid ones is placed at its paid price and drawn as a filled dot.
  • The grades are ToolGPA’s own judgement from each vendor’s pages and from public reviews, not from testing, and no vendor can pay for one. How we grade

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