Best lifetime subscription VPNs (and why to avoid them)

A lifetime subscription to a VPN can be a tempting offer. For a single one-time fee, you get unlimited access to a VPN without ever having to renew a subscription. The up-front cost is higher than what you would pay for a normal subscription, but in theory, you will save a lot of money in the long run.

But don’t be too quick to take advantage of a lifetime VPN subscription. They tend to be associated with low-quality VPN providers and carry significant risks for buyers.

If you simply want a VPN with a longer-than-average term, here’s a shortlist of our top suggestions.

Best Lifetime VPN alternatives:

1. NordVPN: Our top recommendation. Excels in most areas and offers plans for up to two years. Great speed and security. Comes with a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee.
   TIP In our testing we found that the cheapest NordVPN plan (Standard) works perfectly.
2. Surfshark: Solid budget-friendly VPN for streaming and privacy. Plans go up to 3 years.
3. ExpressVPN: Great all-around VPN with plans for up to 15 months.
4. CyberGhost: Easy-to-use option with plans up to 39 months long.
5. PrivateVPN: Simple VPN that unblocks plenty of streaming services. Plans last up to 13 months.
6. PureVPN: Quick and beginner-friendly with affordable two-year plans.
7. ProtonVPN: Fast, security-focused, and reliable. Longest plan lasts two years.

The biggest risk of a lifetime VPN is that the service provider will go out of business before you die. Read the fine print, and you’ll see there’s no recourse for buyers to get a refund if the VPN provider shuts down. So, if the VPN provider doesn’t make enough money to keep operations afloat, users get the short end of the stick. Lifetime subscriptions are often used as a desperate cash injection for an already struggling business.

Lifetime VPN subscriptions often work like Ponzi schemes. A provider starts out selling lifetime subscriptions until new buyers dwindle out and the cost of operations exceeds income. The provider then goes dark and takes off with the money.

Not all lifetime subscriptions are bad investments. NordVPN and Windscribe, two providers we recommend, have both offered them for limited time periods in the past. The key thing to note is that they were limited-time offers sold alongside standard subscription pricing. If a VPN’s only revenue comes from lifetime subscriptions, it’s best avoided.

You may come across some lifetime VPN subscriptions that appear to be from reputable providers but are actually offered by third-party resellers. Resellers may make claims in their advertising that the VPN provider itself can’t fulfill.

Best lifetime subscription VPNs – at a glance

We’ve compared the most important features of the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice for lifetime subscription VPNs.

Best lifetime subscription VPNs (more than one-year-long plans)

So, instead of “lifetime” VPN subscriptions, we’ve rounded up a few VPNs with extra-long plans that last longer than one year. These VPNs also meet all of our other criteria:

• Fast speeds
• Strong security
• No logs
• Unblocks region-locked content
• Live customer support

We talk more about our testing methodology later in this article. For now, here are the best lifetime subscription VPN alternatives: 

1. NordVPN

Dec 2024

Longest plan: 24 months

NordVPN has offered lifetime and three-year subscriptions in the past, but at the time of writing, the longest possible term is two years.

NordVPN is a budget-friendly provider that doesn’t skimp on speed, security, or streaming. It’s one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested thanks to its new Wireguard-based protocol, NordLynx. On top of that, it unblocks tons of streaming sites including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

Connections are protected by strong encryption, leak protection, and an app-specific kill switch that can block certain apps from the internet if your VPN connection drops for any reason. Servers are located in more than 60 countries.

Apps are available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and Amazon Fire TV.

BEST LIFETIME VPN:NordVPN is a our top choice. NordVPN’s 2-year deal comes with a steep discount on the monthly price and includes a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark

Longest plan: 24 months

Surfshark’s 2-year plan includes a hefty discount on the monthly price. Surfshark is a newer provider that’s particularly well-suited for streaming region-locked content from abroad, but it also boasts good speeds and strong security.

Surfshark is the only VPN on this list to allow an unlimited number of simultaneous connections, which makes it a great option for a family or group of friends. It unblocks Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video, among others.

Apps are available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, and Amazon Firestick.

BUDGET OPTION:Surfshark lets you connect all your devices for everyone in your household without worrying about device limits. Surfshark comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full Surfshark review.

3. ExpressVPN

Longest plan: 15 months

ExpressVPN, at the time of writing, offers new users three free months of service whenever you buy a one-year subscription.

ExpressVPN boasts very fast speeds and excellent security. It operates servers in 94 countries and unblocks a wide variety of streaming sites from around the world including Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video.

Live chat support is available 24/7 year-round. The company keeps no identifying logs about what you do with the VPN. Every connection is secured with military-grade encryption, data leak protection, and a network lock that prevents unencrypted data from being sent or received if the VPN connection drops.

Apps are available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Amazon Fire TV, and certain wi-fi routers.

SOLID ALL-ROUNDER:ExpressVPN offers value for money and although it might not offer a lifetime subscription, it’s certainly a VPN you could use for a lifetime. Take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full ExpressVPN review.

4. CyberGhost

Longest plan: 39 months

CyberGhost makes it easy to unblock your favorite streams from abroad and has the longest subscription plan on this list. Unlike other VPNs that force you to guess which servers to use, CyberGhost lists servers by what streaming services they unblock.

Strong encryption, leak protection, and a kill switch are built into CyberGhost’s apps. The company operates servers in more than 60 countries. Speeds are above average, and it doesn’t store any logs. Customer support is available 24/7 on the website.

Apps are available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

LONGEST TERM:CyberGhost's 3 years plus 3 months deal is the closest you’ll get to a lifetime subscription. It comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full CyberGhost review.

5. PrivateVPN

Longest plan: 13 months

PrivateVPN is a newer provider with a smaller network, but don’t let that dissuade you. It’s one of the best VPNs around when it comes to unblocking streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

Speeds are excellent, and the app is very novice-friendly. PrivateVPN checks all the boxes when it comes to privacy and security as well, including uncrackable encryption, a kill switch, and data leak prevention.

At the time of writing, you can get a 1-year plan with an additional month for free. Apps are available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

THE LITTLE GUY:PrivateVPN boasts excellent performance, security, and streaming access despite its small size. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full PrivateVPN review.

6. PureVPN

Longest plan: 24 months

PureVPN lets you sign up for one month, one year, or two years. Long-term plans come with significant discounts and sometimes they’ll even get you a few extra months of access for free. This VPN has more than 6,000 servers in 65 countries and delivers some of the highest speeds we’ve seen. As such, it’s a fantastic option for anyone looking to stream, torrent, or access their usual sites abroad. 10 devices can be secured at once and staff are on-hand 24/7 via live chat.

One of the best things about this service is its ease of use. It has uncrackable encryption, a kill switch, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and a no-logs policy that’s been independently-verified four separate times. What’s more, if PureVPN realizes you’re in a country with strict online restrictions (such as China), it’ll automatically obfuscate your traffic, hiding the fact that you’re using a VPN at all. The only downside is that its tracker-blocking feature only works if you choose the Plus or Max subscription.

PureVPN has its own apps for iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, and Linux. Further, it provides manual configuration instructions for anyone looking to install it on a router.

EASY TO USE:PureVPN is a fantastic choice for novices and its inexpensive long-term plans make it an even more attractive option. Doesn’t compromise on security, works with all manner of stubborn sites, and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of PureVPN to learn more.

7. ProtonVPN

Longest plan: 24 months (paid) or indefinite (free)

ProtonVPN doesn’t have a lifetime plan but you can use its free version indefinitely. This does restrict your speeds, which servers you can use, and how many devices you can connect, though. The two-year paid subscription comes with a discount of more than 50 percent, grants access to the full network (4,000+ servers in 90 countries) and lets you access a huge range of streaming sites. You’ll also be able to chat directly with staff in case anything doesn’t work as expected.

Now, this is a more advanced service so it might not be the best option for novices. Experienced users will appreciate its split tunneling and port forwarding support, automatic ad and tracker-blocking, and multi-hop Secure Core servers, though. ProtonVPN also boasts unbreakable encryption, leak protection, a kill switch, and a proven no-logs policy. You can even pay with Bitcoin or cash, meaning it’s possible to sign up without providing any personally identifiable information.

ProtonVPN apps are available for Android, Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Linux. If you need to protect more than 10 devices simultaneously, it can be manually installed on most routers.

NO LOGS VPN:ProtonVPN puts your privacy first, boasts first-class performance, and can unblock just about any region-locked site. Paid subscriptions last up to two years and include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out our complete ProtonVPN review.

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See also:

• Which is the fastest VPN?
• Best no-logs VPNs: 6 Most secure VPNs
• Best Value VPNs

Methodology: How we find the best lifetime VPN alternatives

Each VPN is subject to our testing methodology. This is a series of things we specifically look for in a lifetime VPN alternative. Here’s an overview of the criteria:

• Subscription length: While most reputable VPNs do not offer lifetime subscriptions, we look for those that provide lengthy plans including 24 and 36-month options.
• Value: The price of a subscription and discounts for longer periods are taken into consideration. We also consider a money-back guarantee a huge part of the value, as well as the number of device connections supported.
• Security: We cover all areas of security and privacy in our assessments. We look for things like 256-bit AES encryption, a network kill switch, multiple VPN protocols, and a no-logs policy. We will only ever recommend a VPN that excels in security.
• Servers: There are two specific criteria when it comes to servers – how many there are and how far they cover. We expect to see a large server network but, more importantly, great geographical coverage for things like streaming geo-restricted content.
• Speeds: If you’re simply browsing, speed might not be too important. However, if you’re streaming, downloading, or gaming, you will need a fast VPN that you can rely on. We conduct speed tests to ensure that we’re only recommending the fastest VPNs.
• Devices: Each VPN service we look at needs to be accessible on a number of platforms. That means apps for all popular operating systems and devices, like Windows, macOS, Android and IOS. We also give extra points for browser extensions and router configurations.
• Unblocking ability: We want to make sure that any VPN service we recommend has the ability to unblock geo-restricted content. This includes popular platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu so that you can enjoy your favorite shows and movies from back home while traveling in other countries.

Want to know more about how we assess VPNs? Read our VPN testing methodology here.

Lifetime VPN FAQ