How do you choose a VPN for personal use?
Summary
Four things separate consumer VPN plans most clearly: how many devices one account covers, how much of the subscription you pay on day one, what the renewal looks like, and when you can still get a refund. Device limits run from five to unlimited, and billing runs from a flat monthly rate to more than two years charged in one go. Location is two separate questions, whether the service works where you are and which countries you can connect through.
Count every device in the house
| Provider | Devices at the same time |
|---|---|
| Mullvad | 5 per account |
| NordVPN | 10 |
| Proton VPN | 1 on Free, 10 on VPN Plus and higher plans |
| ExpressVPN | 10 on Basic, 12 on Advanced, 14 on Pro |
| Surfshark | Unlimited (3 during a free trial) |
A phone and a laptop fit anywhere. Add a partner's devices, a tablet and a smart TV and five slots go quickly, which is often enough to rule a service out before price comes into it.
The first charge is bigger than the monthly figure suggests
The per-month number on a long plan is the upfront charge divided by the months it covers. The billing itself differs a lot:
- NordVPN's two-year plans charge "for the first 27 months" and then renew yearly.
- ExpressVPN's two-year plans are billed "for the first 28 Months" and then autorenew annually.
- Surfshark bills its two-year plan once at the start and annually after it expires.
- Proton's terms say a plan renews automatically for the same length you first chose, at the price in effect when it renews.
- Mullvad charges the same rate whether you pay a month at a time or top up for a year, and says it doesn't want to lock customers into long-term payments.
NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark show a renewal price separate from the introductory one; Mullvad has no such split. The actual figures are in the brand pricing articles.
A 30-day guarantee comes with fine print
NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and ExpressVPN all advertise 30 days. Mullvad offers 14. The conditions are where they part ways.
ExpressVPN's guarantee covers first-time users only and doesn't apply to in-app purchases through Google Play or the App Store. Surfshark refunds only your first purchase and won't refund a subscription that has already renewed. Proton allows one refund per user and excludes cash and bank transfers. Mullvad won't refund cash or cryptocurrency payments. Surfshark, for one, spells out that a renewed subscription can't be refunded.
"A VPN in the US" can mean two things
One question is whether the service works from the country you're in. The other is whether you can pick a server in a particular country. Proton VPN's free plan reaches servers in ten countries; paid plans open up more than 140.
Some VPN-like products don't let you pick at all. Google says the VPN built into Pixel phones won't change your IP location to reach content from another region, and Cloudflare says WARP doesn't let you appear to be connecting from a different country. If a specific country is the reason you want a VPN, those products aren't in the running.
Connecting employees to company systems is a separate purchase, with admin controls and per-user pricing that consumer plans don't have.
Sources
- https://mullvad.net/en/pricing
- https://mullvad.net/en/help/refunds
- https://nordvpn.com/pricing/
- https://nordvpn.com/risk-free-vpn/
- https://protonvpn.com/support/proton-vpn-plans
- https://proton.me/legal/terms
- https://protonvpn.com/free-vpn
- https://www.expressvpn.com/support/knowledge-hub/simultaneous-connections/
- https://www.expressvpn.com/pricing
- https://www.expressvpn.com/support/manage-account/what-is-expressvpns-refund-policy/
- https://surfshark.com/pricing
- https://support.surfshark.com/hc/en-us/articles/360003103653-What-is-Surfshark-s-refund-policy
- https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/2819573?hl=en
- https://developers.cloudflare.com/warp-client/warp-modes/
Related on this site
- Does a VPN hide what you do online from everyone?
- Is a free VPN really free, or is there a catch?
- How much does NordVPN cost once the intro price runs out?
- What does ExpressVPN charge after the first 28 months, and how is Teams priced?
- What do you actually pay for Surfshark over the first two years, and after?
- Does Mullvad really charge €5 a month whether you pay for one month or ten years?
- Which business VPN should a small team actually buy?
- Where both prices are printed, monthly business VPN pricing runs 18% to 29% higher
Written by Kaz (pen name). Published September 28, 2026. The facts above come from the vendor and standards pages listed under Sources. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.