I'm a VPN Editor – these are the Black Friday VPN deals that I would buy

It's almost Black Friday, if you hadn't noticed. The amount of "bargains" on offer right now is dizzying – but while you certainly shouldn't be sucked into buying something you don't need, it is the best time to make purchases you've been planning. If you're reading this article, you may well have been considering investing in a VPN for a while.

As VPN Editor at Tom's Guide, I've tracked all of the best Black Friday VPN deals for five years. This year, almost every VPN has launched some kind of discount, but it's fair to say that some of them aren't that special. However, there are a few that really stand out.

Further down this page, I've outlined each of these select deals in detail. I've also included a quick summary of each deal just below, so you can give it a scan and see if any of them pique your interest.

My top Black Friday VPN deals in brief

1. Surfshark One – $2.19 per month (27-month subscription, $59 total). Surfshark One is the middle tier of subscription from the easygoing, beginner-friendly VPN, Surfshark. This deal includes Avira-backed antivirus for $0.20 per month more than the basic plan. Learn more about this deal.
2. Proton VPN – $2.49 per month (24-month plan, $59 total). Proton VPN is one of the most highly regarded VPNs when it comes to privacy. It typically doesn't run any deals or discounts, so this Black Friday deal is a real rarity, and the cheapest I've ever seen it. Learn more about this deal.
3. PrivadoVPN + antivirus – $1.11 per month (27-month plan, $30 total). PrivadoVPN is a reliable and safe VPN, and it's always a solid value pick. However, this Black Friday it's throwing in its dedicated antivirus for free, as well as offering the cheapest price available. Learn more about this deal.
4. ExpressVPN – $2.44 per month (28-month plan, $68 total). ExpressVPN has gone from a very secure premium brand that never discounts its products to undercutting some of its biggest rivals. This is, by far, the cheapest ExpressVPN has ever been. Learn more about this deal.

1. Surfshark – my top pick this Black Friday

Surfshark is one of the best VPNs around right now. It balances simple, intuitive apps with some impressive, unique privacy-focused features, making staying safer online easy. For example, it's just introduced a new Multi IP feature that scrambles your activity even more – but you can also just click a simple button, connect, and forget about the VPN entirely.

When testing Surfshark, a slight drawback that I found was that on long-distance connections – UK to US, for example – speeds suffered more than other VPNs. That's not to say it's slow, but if you pay for ultra-fast Wi-Fi, a more reliably quick VPN like Proton VPN or NordVPN might be a better choice.

Of the three tiers of subscription available, it's the second – Surfshark One – that really stands out. It currently costs $2.19 per month, down from $2.49 per month, working out at $59 overall. On top of everything you get with the Starter plan, the One plan includes Surfshark's own antivirus. It's backed by Avira – one of the biggest names in antivirus – and has been fully independently verified.

I've used it myself, and I've found it much less intrusive than traditional standalone antivirus apps. It lives in the same window as the VPN, and as well as allowing manual scans, it offers real-time protection that's constantly on the lookout for threats.

Over the course of the 27-month subscription, this Surfshark One deal costs $6 more than Surfshark Starter. I've seen dedicated antivirus apps charge more than that per month. If you're looking to protect your device as well as improve your privacy, this deal is your best choice.

2. Proton VPN – the best choice for privacy seekers

Proton as a company has a singular focus on privacy, and is arguably one of the few real alternatives to big tech titans like Google and Apple. Starting off with Proton Mail in 2014, it went on to launch Proton VPN in 2017, and from then on it has developed an admirable reputation for putting its customers first.

This deal focuses on Proton VPN and, put bluntly, it's the cheapest I've ever seen it in my five years of covering VPNs at Tom's Guide. Proton very rarely runs promotions, so this is a real turn up for the books.

In our Proton VPN review, it proved to be the fastest VPN we tested, scored very highly in terms of privacy, and was also very effective for unblocking streaming sites.

One of Proton VPN's only drawbacks is that the apps are a little more complex than the likes of Surfshark and ExpressVPN. They're not difficult to use by any means – and recent updates have improved them – but they include more expert-level features that inevitably lead to busier interfaces.

If privacy, connection speed, and powerful apps are what you're looking for from your VPN, I think Proton VPN should be the one you pick – and it's never been better value.

3. PrivadoVPN – the cheapest deal worth considering

PrivadoVPN is a something of a newbie to the game, having been founded in 2019. However, it's made a real name for itself by delivering solid performance for a great price. In fact, of all the VPNs I regularly recommend, PrivadoVPN is the very cheapest. In our PrivadoVPN review, it scored highly in streaming and connection speeds, and while pretty basic, the apps are also pleasant to use.

For Black Friday, PrivadoVPN is not only practically giving away its VPN at $1.11 per month ($30 in total), it's literally giving away its antivirus – which usually costs $1.99 per month. This is only available through Tom's Guide and our friends at TechRadar, and saves you a hefty $53.73.

Of course, at this price there are always going to be some compromises. My biggest complaint with PrivadoVPN is that it hasn't undergone any independent audits. While I haven't seen anything to suggest it's not doing what it says it does, an audit would give proof that it's following its no-logs policy to the letter.

If you need a speedy VPN to unblock streaming sites, and you like the sound of having totally free antivirus that doesn't always show pop-ups asking you upgrade, this deal is unmissable. However, if you want guaranteed privacy credentials, I'd recommend picking from Surfshark or Proton VPN above.

4. ExpressVPN – the biggest reduction this year

ExpressVPN is widely known as a VPN that charges relatively high prices for its polished, premium software. I think it's the very best VPN for beginners thanks to its ultra-simple layout, and it has undergone the most independent audits of its policies and infrastructure than any other VPN.

It's also well-known for never offering any kind of discounts on any of its products, whether it's Black Friday or not.

All of this makes this massive reduction in price a big surprise – and a massive bargain. It has only been a matter of months since ExpressVPN launched its tiered pricing system and introduced a cheaper plan, so I certainly didn't expect any additional discounts to pop up.

Of course, this is only good news if ExpressVPN is the right VPN for you. If you know that you'll want to tinker with how your VPN operates, it's definitely not the right choice. However, if you want a reliable VPN that is extremely secure and very easy to use, ExpressVPN is a good choice.