Advertised monthly vs the three‑year bill — the gap

Vendors advertise small per‑month figures. Sum those entry monthly prices from our catalogue over 36 months and the headline monthly number becomes a concrete three‑year cost. The difference can be surprisingly large: take Surfshark’s entry monthly $2.49 — that’s $89.64 over three years — while Mullvad’s $5.50 headline works out to $198.00 across 36 months. Our catalogue numbers are used for every calculation below.

Three‑year totals (our catalogue figures)

Each total is the entry_monthly figure from our catalogue multiplied by 36 months. Where our catalogue lists an annual_equivalent_monthly we note it, but the three‑year totals below use the entry_monthly that advertisers show as the low monthly price unless otherwise stated.

  • ExpressVPN: $3.49/mo → $125.64 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $3.49).
  • NordVPN: $3.09/mo → $111.24 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $3.09).
  • Surfshark VPN: $2.49/mo → $89.64 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $2.49).
  • Private Internet Access: $2.19/mo → $78.84 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $2.19).
  • Proton VPN: $2.99/mo → $107.64 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $2.99; annual_equivalent_monthly also $2.99).
  • CyberGhost VPN: $1.99/mo → $71.64 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $1.99).
  • PrivadoVPN: $1.11/mo → $39.96 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $1.11; annual_equivalent_monthly also $1.11).
  • hide.me VPN: $2.69/mo → $96.84 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $2.69; catalogue also lists renewal_monthly $2.69).
  • VyprVPN: $3.00/mo → $108.00 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $3.00).
  • Windscribe: $1.00/mo → $36.00 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $1.00).
  • TunnelBear: $3.33/mo → $119.88 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $3.33).
  • Mullvad VPN: $5.50/mo → $198.00 over 36 months (catalogue entry_monthly $5.50; catalogue annual_equivalent_monthly $5.00 is noted).

What the three‑year perspective shows

1) Small monthly figures still add up. An advertised $1–$3 monthly price is not negligible over several years: $1.00 a month becomes $36 in three years; $3.00 becomes $108. Use that total when comparing services, not the single monthly number.

2) Entry price is often only the first‑term price. Vendors commonly present a low monthly number tied to a multi‑year or promotional term. Vendor pricing pages and coverage of renewal practices show the discounted first‑term and a separate renewal price or annual rate — readers should expect a difference between “first term” and later bills. For example, vendor checkout pages and pricing explanations often show the first‑term total and an annual renewal figure. checkout.expressvpn.com

3) Introductory deals change comparison logic. A provider that looks cheapest on an advertised monthly rate may not be cheapest over three years if the advertised rate applies only to a shorter first term, or if renewal pricing is higher. Independent reporting and vendor notices of renewal practices document that renewal hikes are common across the market. tomsguide.com

How to use the three‑year totals when choosing

  1. Compare three‑year totals rather than headline months. Our catalogue makes that arithmetic explicit: multiply the entry monthly by 36 to get your bill if the vendor keeps the price constant.
  2. Confirm whether the quoted monthly is a first‑term discount. Read the vendor’s pricing page or order summary for the term length and the renewal price; pricing pages commonly show the first‑term total and the renewal. checkout.expressvpn.com
  3. Plan for changes. Industry analysis and dedicated investigations into VPN renewal prices find that auto‑renewal rates can be materially higher than the initial offer. If you do not want to pay a renewal at a higher rate, set calendar reminders to cancel before the term ends. tomsguide.com

Examples that illustrate the arithmetic

• If an advertised deal is $2.49/month (our Surfshark figure) and that price applies for 24 months only, the 24‑month bill is $59.76 — but the three‑year bill at the same rate is $89.64. If renewal moves to a higher annual rate after 24 months, the 36‑month total will be higher than $89.64. Vendor pricing pages and support articles make the term lengths explicit; check them when signing up. surfshark.com

• A service with a very low entry figure in our catalogue, such as Windscribe at $1.00/month, stays cheap over three years ($36.00). But free or freemium options (several vendors in our catalogue list a free plan) can be the better long‑term saving depending on needs; free plans often have strict limits that make paid plans necessary. Our catalogue notes which vendors offer a free plan.

What we do and what this does not cover

This piece uses the entry_monthly and other price fields recorded in our catalogue and shows the three‑year totals that result if that monthly price continued unchanged for 36 months. It does not report on promotional stacking, taxes or regional price differences, nor on add‑ons and seat‑based pricing beyond the single monthly figures in our catalogue. For published renewal prices or specific first‑term totals, consult each vendor’s pricing page; those pages are the authoritative source for billing terms and renewal rates. checkout.expressvpn.com

Use the three‑year total from the vendor’s own numbers as your comparison baseline — the monthly headline is only half the story.

Bottom line

Adding the monthly numbers in our catalogue over three years produces a simple, comparable view: cheapest to most expensive in our list runs from Windscribe ($36.00) and PrivadoVPN ($39.96) up to Mullvad ($198.00). That three‑year lens exposes how small monthly amounts compound and why it matters to check whether an advertised monthly price is a first‑term discount or the ongoing rate. For renewal specifics and term‑by‑term totals, consult the vendor pricing pages before you commit. checkout.expressvpn.com