NordVPN Pricing: Plans & Costs Explained
Compare NordVPN pricing across four plans from $3.39/mo. See what's included in each tier, commitment discounts, and the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Compare VPN Pricing
NordVPN Pricing: Plans, Costs, and Discounts Explained
NordVPN costs between $3.39 and $25.29 per month depending on plan tier and commitment length. The 2-year Basic plan offers the lowest entry at $3.39/mo. Monthly billing costs $12.99 for Basic. Every plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, and mobile users get a 7-day free trial.
This page focuses on pricing. For the full picture, read our NordVPN review.
NordVPN Plans and What Each Tier Includes
NordVPN offers four tiers: Basic, Plus, Complete, and Prime. Each adds features on top of the core VPN service.
Basic covers the VPN itself. You get access to 6,400+ servers in 111 countries, split tunneling, and a kill switch. This is what most people think of when they think “VPN.”
Plus adds NordPass (password manager) and Threat Protection Pro (ad and tracker blocking). At $4.39/mo on a 2-year plan, the password manager alone justifies the $1.00 premium over Basic for most users.
Complete bundles in NordLocker with 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage. The 2-year price sits at $5.39/mo.
Prime adds cyber insurance and identity theft coverage. At $7.39/mo on the 2-year plan, it targets users who want a full digital security suite rather than just a VPN.
Intro vs. Renewal Pricing: The Real NordVPN Cost
The prices above are introductory rates. NordVPN’s renewal pricing increases significantly after your first term ends. This is the part most reviews skip.
A 2-year Basic plan costs $3.39/mo for the first billing cycle. When it renews, the price jumps to roughly $4.99/mo (the 1-year rate). That is a 47% increase. The same pattern applies across all tiers.
Here is what this looks like over 3 years for the Basic plan:
| Period | Monthly Rate | Total Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Months 1-24 (2yr intro) | $3.39 | $81.36 |
| Months 25-36 (1yr renewal) | $4.99 | $59.88 |
| 3-year total | $3.93 effective | $141.24 |
Some users cancel and re-subscribe under a new promotional rate. NordVPN occasionally sends win-back offers to lapsed subscribers at near-introductory pricing.
Which NordVPN Plan Is Best for Each User Type
Budget-conscious users: 2-year Basic at $3.39/mo. You get the full VPN with no extras. If you already use a separate password manager, skip Plus.
Privacy-focused users: 2-year Plus at $4.39/mo. Threat Protection Pro blocks trackers and malicious sites at the network level. NordPass replaces weak browser-based password storage.
Families and heavy cloud users: 2-year Complete at $5.39/mo. The 1 TB encrypted storage competes with Google One ($2.99/mo for 200 GB), making the bundle cost-effective.
Travelers and month-to-month users: Monthly Basic at $12.99/mo. Use the 30-day money-back guarantee if you only need coverage for a short trip. No long-term commitment required.
NordVPN vs. Competitor Pricing Comparison
Raw monthly prices tell one story. Value per dollar tells another.
| Provider | Monthly | 1-Year | 2-Year | Simultaneous Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN Basic | $12.99 | $4.99 | $3.39 | 10 |
| ExpressVPN | $12.95 | $6.67 | N/A | 8 |
| Surfshark | $12.95 | N/A | $2.19 | Unlimited |
| CyberGhost | $12.99 | N/A | $2.03 | 7 |
Surfshark and CyberGhost undercut NordVPN on sticker price. NordVPN’s advantage shows in server network size (6,400+ vs. Surfshark’s 3,200+), faster average speeds, and independent audit history. See our Surfshark review and CyberGhost review for full comparisons.
ExpressVPN costs 97% more than NordVPN on a 1-year plan ($6.67 vs. $3.39 for 2 years) while offering 2 fewer simultaneous connections. Performance benchmarks between the two are close, making NordVPN the better value for most users.
CyberGhost’s $2.03/mo deal requires a 2-year commitment plus 4 bonus months. That is 28 months locked in. NordVPN’s 2-year plan is 24 months. Per month of commitment, the gap narrows.
NordVPN Seasonal Discounts and Deal Patterns
NordVPN runs promotions throughout the year. The deepest discounts follow a predictable calendar.
Black Friday/Cyber Monday (November): Historically the best deals. Discounts reach 68-74% off with bonus months added to 2-year plans. In past years, NordVPN has bundled 3 extra months free.
Spring sales (March-April): Moderate discounts of 60-65%. These often coincide with awareness campaigns around data privacy.
Back-to-school (August-September): Similar to spring sales. No dedicated student discount exists, but these promotions target younger users.
Christmas/New Year: Deals run from mid-December through early January. Discounts typically match or come close to Black Friday rates.
If you are not in a rush, waiting for Black Friday yields the lowest price. The difference between a regular promotion and a Black Friday deal is typically $5-15 over the full plan term.
NordVPN Payment Methods
NordVPN accepts a wide range of payment options:
- Credit/debit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
- PayPal: Available in most regions
- Apple Pay and Google Pay: For mobile sign-ups
- Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others via CoinGate
- Prepaid cards and retail gift cards: Available in some markets
Bitcoin payments add a layer of anonymity. Your payment cannot be linked to a bank account. However, you still need an email address to create your NordVPN account, so pair crypto payment with an anonymous email for maximum privacy.
Note: cryptocurrency payments may not support automatic renewal. You will need to manually renew when your term ends.
NordVPN Money-Back Guarantee and Free Trial
NordVPN provides a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans and billing cycles. This includes the monthly plan. You can use the full service for 30 days and request a refund through live chat. Most refunds process within 5-10 business days.
Mobile users on Android and iOS get a 7-day free trial through the respective app stores. The trial converts to a paid subscription automatically unless canceled. For full cancellation steps and platform-specific instructions, see our NordVPN free trial guide.
There is no free trial on desktop. The money-back guarantee serves as the de facto trial for non-mobile users.
Refund requests through cryptocurrency payments can take longer. The refund amount is calculated in the original fiat currency equivalent, not in crypto value.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to buy NordVPN?
NordVPN’s lowest price is $3.49 per month on the 2-year Basic plan, billed as one upfront payment of $94.23. The same tier costs $65.88 for one year (about $5.49/month) or $14.99 billed monthly. All three commitments cover identical Basic features: core VPN protection, split tunneling, and a kill switch, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
What’s actually included in each of NordVPN’s four pricing tiers?
NordVPN stacks features across four tiers. Basic covers the core VPN with split tunneling and a kill switch. Plus adds NordPass password manager and Threat Protection Pro ad and tracker blocking. Complete adds NordLocker encryption plus 1TB of cloud storage at $4.49/month on the 2-year plan. Prime tops out with cyber insurance and NordProtect at $7.49/month on the 2-year term.
Why does NordVPN’s renewal price jump so much after the first term?
Because the headline rate is introductory, not permanent. A 2-year Basic plan bills $94.23 upfront, working out to $3.49/month, but renews at roughly the 1-year rate of $5.49/month, about a 47% increase. The same pattern repeats across Plus, Complete, and Prime. Set a renewal reminder so you can re-shop or downgrade before the higher rate charges automatically.
How does NordVPN’s price compare to ExpressVPN and Surfshark?
NordVPN’s cheapest rate is $3.49/month on its 2-year Basic plan, tying ExpressVPN’s lowest rate of $3.49/month on a 1-year term. NordVPN ranks #1 of 22 in our Speed Lab versus ExpressVPN’s #8. Surfshark undercuts both at $1.99/month with unlimited device connections against NordVPN’s 10, though NordVPN’s 8,900+ servers in 129+ countries top Surfshark’s 3,200+ servers in 100+ countries.
How does NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee actually work?
NordVPN backs every plan and billing cycle, including the monthly option, with a full 30-day money-back guarantee. Request a refund through live chat rather than email, and most refunds process within 5 to 10 business days. Crypto payments take longer to refund and are calculated at the original fiat currency equivalent, not the crypto value at request time.
Is there a free trial before I have to pay for NordVPN?
Only on mobile. Android and iOS users get a 7-day free trial through the app stores, which converts automatically into a paid subscription unless you cancel first. Desktop users get no free trial at all; the 30-day money-back guarantee functions as the de facto trial there, letting you test the full service before committing.
Does NordVPN’s device limit change depending on the plan or billing term?
No. Every NordVPN tier, from Basic through Prime, covers 10 simultaneous device connections regardless of whether you choose monthly, 1-year, or 2-year billing. That’s fewer than Surfshark’s unlimited connections but matches ExpressVPN’s Basic tier, which also caps at 10 devices while ExpressVPN’s higher tiers scale up to 12 or 14.
Can I pay for NordVPN anonymously with cryptocurrency?
Yes. NordVPN accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies through CoinGate, which keeps the payment from linking to a bank account. You still need an email address to create the account, so pair crypto payment with an anonymous email for maximum privacy. Crypto payments typically don’t support automatic renewal, so you’ll need to manually renew the plan yourself.
What happens if I forget to cancel before my NordVPN plan renews?
Your saved payment method is charged automatically at the higher renewal rate, since NordVPN’s introductory pricing, like $3.49/month on a 2-year Basic plan, only applies to the first term. A 2-year plan typically renews around the 1-year rate, roughly a 47% jump. If you miss the window, the 30-day money-back guarantee via live chat can still get you a refund.
Does paying with cryptocurrency change how NordVPN handles refunds?
Yes, somewhat. Refund requests tied to cryptocurrency payments take longer to process than card or PayPal refunds, and NordVPN calculates the refunded amount at the original fiat currency equivalent rather than the crypto’s value at refund time. The 30-day money-back guarantee still applies in full, but budget extra processing time if you paid via Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another CoinGate-supported coin.
When is the best time of year to buy NordVPN for the lowest price?
Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November bring NordVPN’s deepest discounts, historically 68 to 74% off with bonus months added to 2-year plans. Spring sales in March and April and back-to-school promotions in August and September run more moderate 60 to 65% discounts. Waiting for Black Friday instead of a regular promotion can save roughly $10 to $15 over the full plan term.
Is NordVPN’s Complete or Prime tier worth the higher price over Basic?
It depends on what you already own. Complete adds NordLocker file encryption and 1TB of encrypted cloud storage at $4.49/month on the 2-year plan, competitive against standalone storage services. Prime adds cyber insurance and NordProtect identity theft coverage at $7.49/month on the same term. If you already use separate password manager and storage tools, Basic alone covers the VPN essentials.