Another trip around the sun, another batch of the best Black Friday VPN deals to prepare for. If you can wait it out until the big day, shopping season is invariably the best time to grab a bargain on many of the best VPNs.
But what deals will we see this year? Well, I can't tell you that for sure quite yet – none of the big names have announced their plans yet. However, what I can do is outline a few trends I've noticed over the last 6 years I've covered VPNs on Black Friday.
Something which was abundantly clear last year was the "full package" deal. Rather than offering deep discounts on basic plans, premium VPNs like NordVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN cut the price of their higher-tier plans, encouraging people to sign up to their additional privacy tools like malware protection of antivirus as well as the VPN.
Also, as always, expect multi-year plans to see the biggest discounts. Brands like PureVPN and FastestVPN often drop incredibly cheap deals on 5-year and lifetime plans respectively. However, it's worth noting that the highest-rated VPNs very rarely do the same.
On this page, I've first included a few of the best deals from last year. Then, below those, I've outlined the best VPN deals available today.
Last year's best Black Friday VPN deals at a glance
To give you a taster of what could be in store this year, below I've included three of the best Black Friday VPN deals I found last year. Be aware that these may not currently be available, and that I have removed any links through to the VPN websites themselves to avoid confusion.
The best VPN deals currently available
Black Friday VPN buying tips
For better or for worse, I know more than most about the pricing and fluctuations in the VPN market. If you're not quite as plugged in as me, there are a few tips to bear in mind.
Firstly, identify what you want from your VPN. If you're looking for proven impenetrable security with blazing-fast speeds and super reliable access to every streaming site under the sun, a bargain-basement option probably won't cut it – although some cheap providers are very good. Instead, you'll want a "premium" provider that's got the monetary backing to ensure everything is running as well as possible. Think NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or Surfshark.
If you're willing to cut a few corners, more providers come into the picture. Streaming is typically the first place where you'll notice a lower standard, and it's also the only thing potentially worth sacrificing. You definitely don't want to miss out on any privacy features. Providers like this include PrivadoVPN and FastestVPN, and they're reliable, but not quite as good as the top-tier providers.
How are these Black Friday VPN deals chosen?
My choice and ordering of these deals is, of course, subjective, but there's a method to how I've ranked them.
While some VPNs do cost less than others – for example, PrivadoVPN at $1.11 per month is the cheapest on this page – more expensive VPNs often offer more features, tools, or show more of a commitment to providing the very best service. Therefore, I've ranked these deals in terms of value rather than price. That said, if you do want the cheapest possible VPN, that's OK too – every product I've featured has been tested by the Tom's Guide team, and we consider them safe and effective to use.
Lots of incredibly cheap services didn't make the cut. This is because in our expert VPN reviews, they simply weren't up to scratch, and I'm only interested in recommending the best of the best when it comes to personal online privacy.
Black Friday VPN deal FAQs
Why do you need a VPN?
In short, a VPN is a tool that can help you maintain anonymity online. It reroutes your traffic away from your Internet Service Provider's (ISP) servers and through its own private, encrypted servers. This means your ISP can't track what you're doing online.
Also, each time you connect, your IP address changes. This makes it much harder for sites to track and locate you, meaning it's less likely for a detailed profile of your activity to build up. These are often sold to advertisers and marketers to show you 'relevant' products.
One of the most popular VPN uses is for unblocking streaming sites. Netflix, for example, shows different content to people in different countries. By connecting to a UK VPN server, for example, you can watch UK-exclusive titles from anywhere in the world.
You can learn more in our detailed what is a VPN article.
Are lifetime VPN deals worth it?
FastestVPN is generally the only VPN I'd recommend that offers a lifetime deal – and predictably, it's sells very well. However, while it's a perfectly safe option, there are some reasons why a lifetime plan might not be the best choice for you.
Firstly, I've never used a VPN that offers a lifetime plan that can match the all-round ability or even the most middling VPNs that only offer monthly and yearly plans. Of course, there are some bad ones, but there's a reason why every provider I recommend in my guide to the very best VPNs requires renewal at some point.
This is because that regular flow of income allows these providers to continue to update and innovate their products. If you just pay once, there's no guarantee to the developer that more money will be coming, so it's likely the apps won't be as powerful.
Secondly, streaming support is often the first thing that's lost. Fairly few VPNs in general are able to unblock streaming sites like BBC iPlayer abroad, or access global Netflix libraries. Unfortunately, I've never used a VPN with a lifetime plan that is reliable for streaming, whereas subscription services like NordVPN and ExpressVPN are very effective.
However, if you just need cheap privacy and decent connection speeds, there are a few lifetime VPNs that do the trick – FastestVPN being the best.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
