The best VPN deals: Get up to 88 percent off ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and more

A virtual private network (VPN) is useful in lots of ways every day, whether you're streaming foreign TV shows or keeping yourself anonymous online so advertisers can't track you. But while we strongly recommend using a VPN, it pays to do some research before investing in one — pricing can be opaque for these services, and you can't always trust how the providers portray their best deals. Even so, there are genuinely great deals to be had.

VPN providers love to give out deep discounts to anybody willing to sign up for a year or more at once. This means you've got to pay out more upfront, but if you divide the cost by the months of service, you're actually paying less per month over time. With deals like this, VPN providers boost their subscriber numbers, and you get heavy price cuts on some of ...