Compare VPNs side by side
Pick two or three VPNs to see them side by side, or filter every VPN we track below. Prices come from each provider's own site every morning, and our speed results carry the date we measured them.
Side by side
| Detail | 1 SurfsharkDetails checked 19 Oct 2026Black Friday dealVisit SurfsharkFrom A$3.49/mo · checked 19 Oct (Lowest monthly price, on the Starter plan paid upfront for 27 months; read from surfshark.com on 19 October 2026)Read the review | 2 NordVPNDetails checked 17 Oct 2026Visit NordVPNFrom A$4.79/mo · checked by hand 17 Oct (Lowest monthly price, on the Basic plan paid upfront for 27 months; checked by hand on 17 October 2026)Read the review | 3 Proton VPNDetails checked 19 Oct 2026Visit Proton VPNFrom US$3.49/mo · checked 19 Oct (Lowest monthly price (about A$5.02), on the VPN Plus plan paid upfront for 2 years; read from protonvpn.com on 19 October 2026)Read the review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Lowest monthly price | A$3.49 27 months, A$94.23 upfrontLowest | A$4.79 27 months, A$129.33 upfront | US$3.49 (about A$5.02) 2 years, US$83.76 upfront |
| Renewal price | – | A$187.08 per year | US$83.88 per year |
| Money-back period | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Devices and servers | |||
| Devices at once | UnlimitedMost | 10 | 10 |
| Countries with servers | 100 | 150Most | 149 |
| Australian cities | 5 Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | 5 Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | 5 (cities not named on its site) |
| Our speed test | |||
| Local server, from Melbourne | 96% of download speed kept on a local server tested October 2026 | 97% of download speed kept on a local server tested October 2026 | 89% of download speed kept on a local server tested October 2026 |
| Apps and privacy | |||
| Protocols | Dausos, IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard | IKEv2, NordLynx, OpenVPN, WireGuard | OpenVPN, Stealth, StealthVPN, WireGuard |
| Features | Ad and tracker blocker, Dedicated IP, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, RAM-only servers, Split tunnelling | Ad and tracker blocker, Dedicated IP, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, Port forwarding, Split tunnelling | Ad and tracker blocker, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, Port forwarding, Split tunnelling |
| Privacy and audits | Based in the Netherlands Audited by Deloitte, Cure53, says the provider | – | Based in Switzerland Audited by Securitum, says the provider |
| Links | Black Friday dealVisit SurfsharkFrom A$3.49/mo · checked 19 Oct (Lowest monthly price, on the Starter plan paid upfront for 27 months; read from surfshark.com on 19 October 2026)Read the review | Visit NordVPNFrom A$4.79/mo · checked by hand 17 Oct (Lowest monthly price, on the Basic plan paid upfront for 27 months; checked by hand on 17 October 2026)Read the review | Visit Proton VPNFrom US$3.49/mo · checked 19 Oct (Lowest monthly price (about A$5.02), on the VPN Plus plan paid upfront for 2 years; read from protonvpn.com on 19 October 2026)Read the review |
SurfsharkDetails checked 19 Oct 2026Price
- Lowest monthly price
- A$3.49
27 months, A$94.23 upfrontLowest - Renewal price
- –
- Money-back period
- 30 days
Devices and servers
- Devices at once
- UnlimitedMost
- Countries with servers
- 100
- Australian cities
- 5
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Our speed test
- Local server, from Melbourne
- 96% of download speed kept on a local server
tested October 2026
Apps and privacy
- Protocols
- Dausos, IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard
- Features
- Ad and tracker blocker, Dedicated IP, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, RAM-only servers, Split tunnelling
- Privacy and audits
- Based in the Netherlands
Audited by Deloitte, Cure53, says the provider
NordVPNDetails checked 17 Oct 2026Price
- Lowest monthly price
- A$4.79
27 months, A$129.33 upfront - Renewal price
- A$187.08
per year - Money-back period
- 30 days
Devices and servers
- Devices at once
- 10
- Countries with servers
- 150Most
- Australian cities
- 5
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Our speed test
- Local server, from Melbourne
- 97% of download speed kept on a local server
tested October 2026
Apps and privacy
- Protocols
- IKEv2, NordLynx, OpenVPN, WireGuard
- Features
- Ad and tracker blocker, Dedicated IP, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, Port forwarding, Split tunnelling
- Privacy and audits
- –
Proton VPNDetails checked 19 Oct 2026Price
- Lowest monthly price
- US$3.49 (about A$5.02)
2 years, US$83.76 upfront - Renewal price
- US$83.88
per year - Money-back period
- 30 days
Devices and servers
- Devices at once
- 10
- Countries with servers
- 149
- Australian cities
- 5 (cities not named on its site)
Our speed test
- Local server, from Melbourne
- 89% of download speed kept on a local server
tested October 2026
Apps and privacy
- Protocols
- OpenVPN, Stealth, StealthVPN, WireGuard
- Features
- Ad and tracker blocker, Kill switch, Multi-hop (two servers), Obfuscation, Port forwarding, Split tunnelling
- Privacy and audits
- Based in Switzerland
Audited by Securitum, says the provider
Our head-to-head: NordVPN vs Surfshark
Popular head-to-head comparisons
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Every VPN we track
Listed in our calculated order, from price, refund period, countries and devices. Tick up to three to compare them above, or filter and sort the list.
| VPN | Lowest monthly price | Money-back | Devices | Countries | Australian cities | Our speed test, local server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1SurfsharkBlack Friday dealVisit SurfsharkFrom A$3.49/mo · checked 19 Oct (Lowest monthly price, on the Starter plan paid upfront for 27 months; read from surfshark.com on 19 October 2026) | A$3.49 27 months, A$94.23 upfront | 30 days | Unlimited | 100 | 5 Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | 96% kept October 2026 |
| 2NordVPNVisit NordVPNFrom A$4.79/mo · checked by hand 17 Oct (Lowest monthly price, on the Basic plan paid upfront for 27 months; checked by hand on 17 October 2026) | A$4.79 27 months, A$129.33 upfront | 30 days | 10 | 150 | 5 Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | 97% kept October 2026 |
| 3Proton VPNVisit Proton VPNFrom US$3.49/mo · checked 19 Oct (Lowest monthly price (about A$5.02), on the VPN Plus plan paid upfront for 2 years; read from protonvpn.com on 19 October 2026) | US$3.49 (about A$5.02) 2 years, US$83.76 upfront | 30 days | 10 | 149 | 5 (cities not named on its site) | 89% kept October 2026 |
4 IPVanishVisit IPVanishFrom US$2.19/mo · checked 19 Oct (Lowest monthly price (about A$3.15), on the Essential plan paid upfront for 2 years; read from ipvanish.com on 19 October 2026) | US$2.19 (about A$3.15) 2 years, US$52.56 upfront | 30 days | Unlimited | – | 5 Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | 77% kept August 2021 |
5 CyberGhostRead the review | A$3.27 26 months, A$85.02 upfront | 45 days | 7 | 100 | 3 Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney | 93% kept August 2021 |
6 ExpressVPNRead the review | US$2.99 (about A$4.30) 28 months, US$83.72 upfront | 30 days | 10–14 | 113 | 5 Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | 86% kept August 2021 |
7 PrivateVPNRead the review | US$2.00 (about A$2.87) 3 years, US$72.00 upfront | 30 days | – | – | 4 Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney | 66% kept August 2021 |
8 PureVPNVisit PureVPNFrom US$2.15/mo · checked 19 Oct (Lowest monthly price (about A$3.09), on the Standard plan paid upfront for 27 months; read from purevpn.com on 19 October 2026) | US$2.15 (about A$3.09) 27 months | 31 days | – | – | – | Not tested yet |
9 hide.meRead the review | US$2.69 (about A$3.87) 26 months, US$69.99 upfront | 30 days | – | – | – | Not tested yet |
10 Mozilla VPNRead the review | A$7.50 1 year, A$89.99 upfront | 30 days | 5 | 30+ | – | Not tested yet |
11 Mullvad VPNRead the review | €5.00 (about A$8.09) 1 month, €5.00 upfront | 14 days | – | – | – | Not tested yet |
12 IVPNRead the review | US$5.00 (about A$7.19) 1 year, US$60.00 upfront | – | 5 | – | – | Not tested yet |
13 WindscribeRead the review | US$5.75 (about A$8.26) 1 year, US$69.00 upfront | – | – | – | – | 94% kept late 2021 |
14 Astrill VPNRead the review | US$12.50 (about A$17.96) 2 years, US$300.00 upfront | – | – | – | – | 100%+ kept March 2022 |
 Private Internet AccessRead the review | – | – | – | – | – | 44% kept late 2021 |
No VPN matches all of those. Untick a filter to see more.
Numbers are the calculated order of our main comparison; a VPN without a number is one we have no price for yet. – means we do not have that detail yet. Prices in US dollars or euros are published in that currency; the Australian-dollar figure is approximate, converted at the European Central Bank euro reference rates for 16 Oct 2026. How we compare VPNs
How this comparison works
Prices, plans, refund periods, devices and server details are read from each provider's own website every morning, and each column shows when they were last checked. Where a provider bills in US dollars or euros, the Australian-dollar figure is a conversion, and your bank may add a fee.
"Our speed test" is the share of our download speed a VPN kept on a local server, measured from a Melbourne home connection, with the date we ran it. The results come from different rounds (2021 to 2022, and October 2026) on different lines, so a gap of a few points between two VPNs means little. Five of the VPNs here have not been through our tests yet, and say so.
The default order is a calculation from published figures: price, refund period, countries and devices, with the weights shown on our home page. Commission plays no part in it. See how we earn money and how we compare VPNs.
Questions about this comparison
Which VPN is cheapest?
Sort the list by lowest monthly price. That figure is for each provider's longest plan, paid upfront; check the renewal price too, because most plans cost more after the first term. Our cheapest VPN page goes into the detail.
Can I share a comparison?
Yes. Pick your VPNs, then copy the link: it opens the same side-by-side view for anyone you send it to.
Why does a VPN have no number?
The number is its place in our calculated order. A VPN without one is one we have no price for yet, so it cannot be scored.
Why do some VPNs say "Not tested by us yet"?
We only show results we measured ourselves, with their date. Until a VPN has been through our Melbourne tests, its review summarises what named independent testers found instead.