Plan-by-plan breakdown
NordVPN sells three tiers (Standard, Plus, Complete) and three billing cycles. Prices below are for the Standard tier, which is what most users need. All figures are in US dollars, paid in one upfront charge.
| Billing cycle | Per month | Upfront charge | Total over 24 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $12.99 | $12.99 | $311.76 |
| 1-year plan | $4.59 | $55.08 | $110.16 |
| 2-year plan (best value) | $3.09 | $74.16 | $74.16 |
The auto-renewal catch
This is the part that surprises customers. When your 2-year plan ends, NordVPN auto-renews you at the 1-year price, not the 2-year price. So the $74.16 you paid for two years becomes a $55.08 renewal for one year. That's still cheaper than month-to-month, but it's a noticeable jump from the $3.09 per month rate you got used to.
Two ways to avoid it: turn off auto-renewal in your account dashboard at least a few days before the term ends, or cancel and resubscribe on a fresh 2-year deal (NordVPN frequently runs new-customer-only promotional pricing).
What each tier includes
- Standard — VPN, Threat Protection (ad and tracker blocker, anti-malware downloads), and Meshnet (secure direct device-to-device tunnels). For most users this is all you need.
- Plus — adds NordPass password manager and a data-breach scanner. Roughly $1 more per month.
- Complete — adds NordLocker encrypted cloud storage (1 TB). Roughly $2 more per month. Worth it only if you don't already have cloud storage you trust.
Hidden costs and add-ons
- Dedicated IP add-on: roughly $70 per year for an IP that's only yours. Useful for some banking and remote-work scenarios where a shared IP gets flagged.
- Refund window: 30 days, no questions asked. The clock starts at first payment, not at the end of a free trial (NordVPN has no free trial outside of mobile app stores).
- Payment methods: credit card, PayPal, Google Pay, crypto. Crypto purchases don't qualify for a refund.
How it compares
- vs ExpressVPN: ExpressVPN's cheapest plan is $6.67 per month (1-year). NordVPN is meaningfully cheaper on a 2-year commitment and includes Threat Protection at the Standard tier; ExpressVPN's equivalent ad-blocker is a separate paid add-on.
- vs Surfshark: Surfshark's 2-year plan is around $2.19 per month — cheaper than NordVPN. The trade-off is a smaller server network (3,200 vs 6,400+) and fewer specialty servers.
- vs free VPNs: Free VPNs cost nothing in dollars but typically pay for themselves by logging or selling your browsing data. NordVPN's $3.09 per month is cheap insurance against that.
Verdict
The 2-year plan is the right choice for most people: $74 upfront covers two full years of unlimited use across six devices. Just diary the renewal date and turn off auto-renew before it hits, or you'll quietly start paying 50 percent more.