VPN Pricing & New User Deals Compared (2026): ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Astrill & PureVPN

Prices are shown in USD. VPN introductory offers change frequently — confirm the actual total and renewal price at checkout. The article update date above is not a guarantee that every price was reverified on that date.

If you’re heading to mainland China, a VPN is not automatically necessary on an internationally routed travel eSIM’s mobile data, but it can be useful for hotel or café Wi-Fi and laptop use. Start with when you actually need a VPN with an eSIM in China. We compared what five major providers actually cost new users right now, including the intro deals, free trials, and the renewal-price traps nobody advertises.

New User Pricing at a Glance

Cheapest way in: Surfshark’s 2-year Starter deal (~$1.78/mo with bonus months) is the lowest real price among the five. Most expensive: Astrill, by a wide margin — but it’s priced that way because it sells reliability in hard-censorship regions, not bargains.

Provider Breakdowns

Surfshark — cheapest entry, real free trial

The 2-year Starter plan at ~$2.49/mo (down to ~$1.78/mo when the 3-free-months promo runs) undercuts everyone here. A 7-day free trial via the Android/iOS app stores plus a 30-day money-back guarantee means up to 37 risk-free days. Unlimited simultaneous devices is the quiet killer feature for families. Watch the monthly price though — $16.45 is the highest single-month rate in this group.

NordVPN — mid-priced, strongest ecosystem

From $3.49/mo on the 2-year Basic deal, scaling through Plus/Complete/Prime tiers that bundle a password manager, cloud storage, and identity tools. No free trial, but a 30-day money-back guarantee. In restricted regions you’ll need its obfuscated servers, which work but require manual setup. Renewal jumps to standard rates — set a calendar reminder before your term ends. How to set it up for China: my NordVPN for China review, or see NordVPN’s current deal.

ExpressVPN — premium default, now tiered

Since introducing Basic/Advanced/Pro tiers, ExpressVPN’s headline price dropped to $2.49/mo (Basic, 2-year + 4 free months) — historically its lowest. Mobile users get a 7-day app trial; everyone gets the 30-day guarantee. Renewal reverts to ~$99.95/yr for Basic. Consistently the most reliable of the big three in restricted-network testing, and the easiest to set up: no manual server fiddling.

Astrill — the expensive specialist

$30/month, $15/mo annually, $12.5/mo on two years — four to five times the others’ intro rates, with no money-back guarantee (7-day trials are granted case-by-case via support). What you’re paying for: purpose-built stealth protocols and a track record in mainland China that the mainstream brands can’t consistently match. If uninterrupted connectivity in China is mission-critical, Astrill is the insurance policy. If it isn’t, the price is hard to justify.

PureVPN — budget option with a paid trial

Standard tier at $12.95 monthly, with long-term promos regularly hitting up to 87% off (~$2/mo territory) and a $0.99 7-day trial — the cheapest way to properly test any VPN here without app-store trial hoops. A 31-day money-back guarantee tops the group by one day. The catch: performance in restricted regions is the least consistent of the five, so treat it as a budget pick for general travel rather than a China workhorse.

The Renewal Trap (Read Before Buying)

Every provider here except Astrill uses steep intro pricing that expires. ExpressVPN Basic renews at ~$99.95/year; NordVPN and Surfshark revert to standard rates that can be 2–4× the intro price. Three ways to handle it: set a reminder to cancel/renegotiate before renewal, stack the longest intro term available (the 2-year deals lock the low rate longest), or simply switch providers at renewal — loyalty is penalized in this market.

Which One Should You Pick?

• Tightest budget: Surfshark — lowest 2-year rate, real free trial, unlimited devices.
• Best balance of price and reliability: ExpressVPN Basic at $2.49/mo is the strongest deal it has ever run.
• Want one subscription for VPN + password manager + storage: NordVPN Complete.
• China connectivity is non-negotiable: Astrill — expensive, but that’s the price of “it just works.”
• Just want to test cheaply: PureVPN’s $0.99 week, then decide.

FAQ

Do these VPNs work in mainland China? ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and Astrill test most reliably in 2026; NordVPN works via obfuscated servers; PureVPN is hit-or-miss. Install and log in before you arrive — provider websites are blocked inside China.

Can I get a truly free VPN for China? Effectively no — independent tests show free tiers rarely survive current firewall upgrades. The 30-day money-back guarantees above are the practical “free month.”

Do I still need a VPN if I have a travel eSIM? On the China plans I’ve tested, WhatsApp, Google Maps and ChatGPT worked on Trip.com, Yesim and Nomad without a separate VPN. Other brands have different evidence and exceptions; international routing isn’t a guarantee for every app. Hotel Wi-Fi uses a separate connection and doesn’t inherit your eSIM’s access. See the China eSIM app comparison before deciding which mobile-data and Wi-Fi setup you need.

Are prices different if I buy from inside China? Prices are the same, but payment pages may not load. Buy and install before departure.

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Sources: official pricing pages (ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Astrill, PureVPN), with supplementary research from cybernews, VPNpro, Security.org, and Tom’s Guide. Prices and promotions may have changed since the original research; verify current offers at checkout.

NordVPN Basic monthly and one-year quotes were rechecked on 7 November 2026.