Sleigh bells, snow, and stress-inducing last-minute Christmas shopping—'tis the season, at last. There are some cracking end-of-year deals to take advantage of, too, with plenty of VPN services keeping their best deals under wraps until the end of 2023.
I’m constantly checking out the industry’s best VPNs (and promising newcomers), putting their features, speed, and unblocking power to the test. I’m always on the prowl for the best and biggest deals, too, because who doesn’t love a bargain? So, if you missed out on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, there’s still one last chance to save some cash.
However, some providers have decided that they’d rather be Scrooge than Santa, and haven’t lowered their prices or unveiled any jaw-dropping deals in time for the holidays. That’s disappointing news for anyone who’s had their eye on a particular provider, hoping to snag a discount, and means you’ll need to pay full price for the service—or check out a more budget-friendly VPN.
Which VPNs aren't lowering their prices for Christmas?
First up on the naughty list is ExpressVPN—which isn’t a massive surprise, seeing as this titan of the industry rarely takes part in seasonal sales. You, me, and everyone else would love to see ExpressVPN roll out a huge discount for the end of 2023, not least because the service is a lot more expensive than its closest competitors, but it’s just not on the (Christmas) cards.
The good news is that you’re getting a premium product for a premium price tag. ExpressVPN is my #1 VPN overall, and a service I use every day at work and at home. It’s packed with security tools, more than fast enough to handle gaming and torrenting, and unblocks virtually every streaming service you can think of—which is critical, seeing as I plan to be glued to Netflix over the holidays.
While you can get a 49% discount on a 1-year plan, with 3 extra months of coverage and a full year of cloud storage for no extra cost, you'll still be paying a hefty $6.67 a month when there are cheaper alternatives out there.
Next up, it’s Hotspot Shield. This solid all-rounder is particularly good at unblocking international Netflix catalogs and has some of the best mobile VPN apps I’ve used. So, if you’re going to be relying on dodgy Wi-Fi hotspots at any point over the break, Hotspot Shield will make sure your passwords, personal details, and financial information stay secure.
Unfortunately, Hotspot Shield won’t be making sure your wallet stays as plump as a Christmas turkey. There are no dazzling holiday offers available, and a premium plan will set you back $7.99 a month if you go for a 1-year subscription. That’s pretty pricey. Luckily, there is an unlimited free VPN tier if you’re interested in taking Hotspot Shield for a test drive, though you’ll be missing out on its dedicated streaming mode.
Number three on my list is VyprVPN; a great privacy-oriented pick for anyone looking for a seriously secure VPN. One of VyprVPN’s standout features is its Chameleon protocol, which can help you get around aggressive VPN bans, and its abundance of leak protection that’ll make sure nobody gets their mitts (or mittens) on your data.
VyprVPN might not have any awesome end-of-year deals, but its pricing structure is straightforward. You can go for a 1-year plan at $5.00 a month, or take things a month at a time and pay $10.00.
The final VPN that’s decided to hibernate instead of celebrate is Astrill VPN. It’s not one of the industry’s big boys, but I found that it was a great choice for travelers, thanks to its network of servers spread across 57 countries. Astrill VPN is even one of the most reliable China VPNs our team has tested. I was pleasantly surprised by just how much Astrill VPN was able to unblock, too, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Channel 4. Basically, you won’t run out of content until next Christmas.
Astrill VPN is, however, seriously expensive. Go for a 1-year plan, and you’ll need to part with a whopping $15.00 a month. The 1-month version is even more pricey at an eye-watering $30.00 a month. Astrill VPN, these prices are going to get you a lump of coal for Christmas.
Okay, so what’s the best holiday VPN deal?
NordVPN tops the nice list with a massive deal that you won’t want to miss. Grab a 2-year plan for just $2.99 a month, and you’ll also get an extra 3 months of coverage for free. That’s a huge 69% saving on one of my favorite secure, audited, and feature-rich services (and the fastest VPN I’ve ever put to the test.)
Surfshark is just as quick as Rudolph and already the very best cheap VPN at any time of the year. However, you can save big over the holidays with a 86% discount on its 2-year Starter plan, and pay just $1.99 a month. Surfshark offers serious value for money with 4 months extra for free, and you’ll even get unlimited simultaneous connections to share with the family.
Both providers also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the service on your own devices over Christmas and New Year’s, all without risking a penny.
