Alternatives

Best NordVPN alternatives in 2026

Data compiled by Toolradar Updated October 29, 2026 How we rate

Cite this list: Toolradar, best NordVPN alternatives 2026, toolradar.com/alternatives/nordvpn

7 direct alternatives to NordVPN, compared on pricing, features, and best-for use cases. Pick the right replacement without the marketing fluff.

Quick answer

ExpressVPN is the top alternative to NordVPN on our list, followed by Surfshark and Perimeter 81.
1 of the 7 alternatives has a free plan, starting with Proton VPN.
Highest rated: ExpressVPN, 4.6 out of 5 from 291 ratings, Sep 2026.

Publications that cover the tools tracked here

7 alternatives
1 with a free plan

ExpressVPN
#1 Top pick
Secure your connection, access global content, and enjoy fast speeds
Starting price
From $3.49 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026
4.6 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 291 ratings, Sep 2026
Our take
Best overall
Read the review
Surfshark
#2
Unlimited devices, all-in-one online security and privacy
Starting price
From $2.49 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026
4.3 /5 across Trustpilot, G2 and Capterra · 923 ratings, Sep 2026
Read the review
Perimeter 81
#3
Zero Trust Network Access platform for secure remote access to cloud and on-premises resources.
Pricing
Not published
4.6 /5 across PeerSpot and Capterra · 141 ratings, Sep 2026
Read the review

NordVPN vs 7 alternatives

NordVPN and its alternatives compared on starting price (cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026), free plan and average user rating.
Tool	Starting price (Oct 2026)	Free plan	Rating
NordVPN Compared tool	Price: $3.49/mo	Free plan: No	4.0 out of 5, from 18,319 ratings across G2, Capterra, SourceForge and more (18,319)
ExpressVPN	Price: $3.49/mo	Free plan: No	4.6 out of 5, from 291 ratings across G2 and Capterra (291)
Surfshark	Price: $2.49/mo	Free plan: No	4.3 out of 5, from 923 ratings across Trustpilot, G2 and Capterra (923)
Perimeter 81	Price: Not published	Free plan: No	4.6 out of 5, from 141 ratings across PeerSpot and Capterra (141)
Mullvad VPN	Price: $5/mo	Free plan: No	3.7 out of 5, from 154 ratings across G2, SourceForge and Trustpilot (154)
Private Internet Access	Price: $1.88/mo	Free plan: No	4.6 out of 5, from 38 ratings on SourceForge (38)
Proton VPN	Price: $6.99/mo	Free plan: Yes	4.3 out of 5, from 5 ratings on G2 (5)
CyberGhost VPN	Price: $2.03/mo	Free plan: No	n/a

Why people consider alternatives to NordVPN

NordVPN is a virtual private network service protecting online privacy. Encrypt internet traffic from prying eyes. 5,500+ servers in 60 countries. Threat protection blocks malware and trackers.

Here are the real cost and limitation gotchas that push teams to look elsewhere:

Renewal is higher than the intro price: Basic renews at $139.08/year after the first term.
Monthly pricing is about 4x the 2-year rate: Basic costs $14.99/month without a commitment vs $3.49/month on the 2-year plan.
Identity protection features in Prime are mainly aimed at US users.
NordVPN does not offer a free tier. Proton VPN offers a free plan with unlimited data.

The 7 alternatives below cover the same core job (VPN) with different trade-offs.

See full NordVPN review Best vpn tools How we rank

NordVPN by the numbers

Toolradar data: NordVPN's entry paid plan ($3.49/mo, billed monthly) ranks #9 of 18 for price among the VPN tools with a verified entry price and no stated unit, where the median is $4.25/mo. Its head-to-head comparison pages had 78 visits in the last 30 days, ranking #6 of 30 tools with 20+ compare-page visits in VPN. As of Nov 2026.

NordVPN compared with 37 VPN tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
Metric	NordVPN	Peer median	Position (1 is best)
Entry paid plan	$3.49/mo, billed monthly	$4.25/mo	#9 of 18 tools with no stated price unit, verified price
Free plan	No	21 of 37 have one	n/a
Listed as an alternative to	17 tools	4	#2 of 37 (joint)
User rating	4.0/5 (across the web, 18,319 ratings)	4.3/5	#21 of 27 (joint) tools with 20+ reviews
Toolradar page visits, last 30 days	66 visits	492	#8 of 8 tools with 50+ visits
Compare-page visits, last 30 days	78 visits	45	#6 of 30 tools with 20+ compare-page visits

Visitors most often compare NordVPN with Proton VPN (last 30 days, Nov 2026).

Listed as an alternative to: #2 on 2026-10-16 to #2 on 2026-11-02 (rank among 37 tools, 1 is best).

Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. A lower entry price ranks higher; prices are read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis. All VPN data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source.

Cite this: Toolradar, “NordVPN by the numbers”, Nov 2026.

VPN leaderboards from Toolradar data

Toolradar ranks VPN tools on one measure at a time, only where at least 8 tools have data. As of Nov 2026.

CSV

Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit

Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.

Counted among 18 tools with no stated price unit, verified price.

Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit, VPN tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
#	Tool	Entry plan
1	CyberGhost VPN	$2.03/mo, billed monthly
2	IPVanish	$2.19/mo, billed monthly
3	Surfshark	$2.49/mo, billed monthly
3	ZoogVPN	$2.49/mo, billed monthly
5	Bitdefender	$2.50/mo, billed yearly

Most visited, last 30 days

Distinct visitor sessions on the tool's Toolradar page over the last 30 days, with bots excluded by our analytics. A session counts once however many times it reloads the page.

Counted among 8 tools with 50+ visits.

Most visited, last 30 days, VPN tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
#	Tool	Visits
1	Proton VPN	1,427 visits
2	Hide.me	834 visits
3	Windscribe VPN	639 visits
4	Opera	619 visits
5	ZoogVPN	365 visits

A position exists only when at least 8 tools have data for that metric. 18 of 37 VPN tools have a verified price; the others publish none we could read (often "contact sales"). Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source. How we compute this. Cite this: Toolradar, “VPN leaderboards”, Nov 2026. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. All VPN statistics.

7 alternatives to NordVPN

Ranked by G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editor review, plus how directly they replace NordVPN.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to NordVPN?

Based on real-signal scoring (G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editorial review), the top alternatives to NordVPN are ExpressVPN, Surfshark, Perimeter 81. Each solves the same core job with different trade-offs on pricing, features, and integrations.

Is there a free alternative to NordVPN?

There is no fully free alternative in this list. Proton VPN is freemium: a permanent free tier plus paid plans (Swiss privacy protection with unlimited bandwidth).

Why do people look for NordVPN alternatives?

Common reasons teams switch away from NordVPN: pricing that scales aggressively, missing integrations with the rest of their stack, performance or scale limits, or a specific feature gap in vpn. The alternatives on this page solve the same core problem with different trade-offs.

Side-by-side comparisons

In-depth comparison pages for NordVPN versus each alternative.

NordVPN vs ExpressVPN NordVPN vs Surfshark NordVPN vs Perimeter 81 NordVPN vs Mullvad VPN NordVPN vs Private Internet Access NordVPN vs Proton VPN NordVPN vs CyberGhost VPN

Improve Your Thinking Patterns Using ChatGPT cover

$99 Free with your review

Review NordVPN, get a free AI guide

Share your experience and we will send you Improve Your Thinking Patterns Using ChatGPT, free.

Write a review

Still considering NordVPN?

See the full review, pricing breakdown, and community feedback before you decide.

Full NordVPN review Visit NordVPN

Top 3 alternatives to NordVPN

ExpressVPN

Surfshark

Perimeter 81