ExpressVPN advertises $2.99 a month. You will pay that for 28 months. Then it becomes $99.95 a year, which is $8.33 a month, and nobody sends you a warning first.
That is a 179 percent increase, and it lands on the cheapest plan hardest. The expensive plans go up by about 122 percent. The entry plan goes up by 179.
I run Ecommerce Paradise from Bali, so a VPN is not optional for me, it is how I reach US supplier portals and my own bank. I have also made this exact mistake in print before, comparing one VPN’s intro price against another’s renewal, so I am being careful with it here. Every number below is the vendor’s own, and I have separated first-term from renewal every time.
The $2.99 Is a 28-Month Price, Not a Rate
Year three costs $99.95. Know the second number before you judge the first, because the gap is 179 percent.
The Full Ladder, Both Prices
These came off ExpressVPN’s own order page, read in September 2026. Every plan on that page is a 2 year plus 4 month term, so 28 months up front.
| Plan | Advertised rate | You pay today | Term | Then renews at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2.99/mo | $83.72 | 28 months | $99.95 a year |
| Advanced | $4.49/mo | $125.72 | 28 months | $119.95 a year |
| Pro | $7.49/mo | $209.72 | 28 months | $199.95 a year |
ExpressVPN deserves credit here, and I want to say it plainly before I criticise anything. The renewal price is printed on the order page, in the same block as the offer. They are not hiding it. Two of their competitors handle this less honestly, which I will come to.
What the Renewal Actually Does to the Rate
The advertised figure and the renewal figure are quoted in different units, which is what makes this hard to see. One is a monthly rate across 28 months, the other is an annual charge. Put both in dollars per month and the picture changes.
| Plan | First term, per month | Renewal, per month | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2.99 | $8.33 | 179 percent |
| Advanced | $4.49 | $10.00 | 123 percent |
| Pro | $7.49 | $16.66 | 122 percent |
The pattern worth noticing is that the cheapest plan has the steepest cliff. Basic more than doubles and then some. The two plans above it settle at roughly the same 122 percent.
I have now seen this in enough places to treat it as a rule rather than a coincidence. The entry plan is the one used in advertising, so it carries the deepest discount, so it has the furthest to climb back. If you pick the cheapest tier because the headline looked good, you are the customer whose bill changes most.
The Real Cost Over Time
The way to judge a plan with two prices is to model several years rather than one.
| Plan | First 28 months | Next 12 months | Total, 40 months | Average per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $83.72 | $99.95 | $183.67 | $4.59 |
| Advanced | $125.72 | $119.95 | $245.67 | $6.14 |
| Pro | $209.72 | $199.95 | $409.67 | $10.24 |
Basic averages $4.59 a month over its first 40 months, not $2.99. That is still reasonable for a premium VPN, which is the honest conclusion. The number is just not the one on the button.
Notice something else in that table. By month 40, one year of renewal has cost more than the entire first 28 months on Basic. The second bill is bigger than the first bill despite covering less than half the time.
How the Competition Handles the Same Thing
I pulled the same data from two competitors on the same day, because the difference in how they present it is the most useful thing in this whole article.
| Service | Entry offer | Renewal published? | Renewal terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | $2.99/mo for 28 months | Yes, on the order page | $99.95 a year |
| CyberGhost | $2.19/mo for 26 months | Yes, on the pricing page | $56.94 a year |
| Surfshark | $2.49/mo for 27 months | No figure given | “the applicable renewal price” |
Surfshark’s pricing page answers the question “how much does Surfshark cost after 2 years” with the sentence that you will be charged the applicable renewal price. That is not an answer. It is the shape of an answer with the number removed.
I am not calling that dishonest, because the FAQ does at least acknowledge that a renewal price exists and differs. But you cannot compare a service whose year-three price is published against one whose is not, and any comparison table that lines up $2.49 against $2.99 without saying so is misleading you by omission.
The CyberGhost presentation is worth studying
CyberGhost’s page says the plan is billed $56.94 for the first 2 years, then autorenews at $56.94 annually. Read that twice. The dollar figure does not change. The period it covers halves.
So the invoice looks identical while the price per month doubles, from $2.19 to $4.75. Everything is disclosed and nothing is technically wrong, and I would still bet most people reading that line take away that the price stays the same.
Running the Store From Overseas?
A VPN is one line in a stack that also needs suppliers, an entity and a store. We build the whole thing and launch it with you.
What You Get on Each Tier
The tiers are not just more of the same thing, which matters because the wrong comparison is Basic against a competitor’s top plan.
| Plan | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Basic | The VPN itself, 10 simultaneous devices, Lite Protection blocking ads, malicious sites and adult sites, dedicated IP available as a paid add-on, 10 MB a month of private email relay |
| Advanced | Everything in Basic, plus the wider protection and identity tooling |
| Pro | Everything above, plus identity defender tools including 5 ID alerts, automated data removal and up to $3 million of identity theft insurance, plus 3 GB of eSIM data valid for 3 days |
Ten simultaneous devices on the entry plan is generous. For a solo operator with a laptop, phone, tablet and a couple of machines for a VA, Basic covers it without thinking about seat counts.
The identity insurance on Pro is the kind of feature that reads impressively and rarely pays out in a way that matters to a small business. I would not upgrade two tiers for it.
The Monthly Plan Trap
One option I have deliberately not put in the tables, because ExpressVPN’s order page leads with the 2-year plans and that is what most people will buy.
If you are only going somewhere for a few weeks, a month-to-month plan is the right purchase and the long term is not. The problem is that this whole category prices monthly plans punitively, precisely so the long commitment looks like a bargain by comparison.
CyberGhost publishes its monthly rate at $12.99, which is roughly six times its long-term rate of $2.19. That ratio is normal for the industry rather than unusual.
So if your need is genuinely short, accept that you are paying the expensive rate and buy one month rather than talking yourself into 28 because the maths looked better. Two months at a bad rate still costs less than 28 months at a good one.
And if your need is short but recurring, say you travel for a month twice a year, the honest comparison is four months of monthly billing against a long plan you would leave running. At $12.99 that is about $52 a year, against $99.95 on renewal. The monthly plan wins on that pattern and nobody advertises it that way.
The Refund Window Is the Real Safety Net
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users, stated on the order page next to every plan.
That matters more than it looks, because the biggest risk with a VPN is not price, it is whether it works for your specific situation. A VPN that cannot reach your bank’s login page, or that your supplier portal blocks, is worthless at any price.
So the sequence I would follow: buy the term you want, then in the first week actually test the things you need it for. Log into your bank. Open your supplier portals. Try the site that made you want a VPN in the first place. If any of it fails, you are inside the window.
Worth comparing: CyberGhost gives 45 days on its long plans and only 14 on the monthly one. Surfshark gives 30. ExpressVPN gives 30. Nobody in this group is stingy, and the longer window on CyberGhost’s long plans is a genuine point in its favour.
Why the Term Lengths Are Odd Numbers
Something worth noticing across all three of these services: nobody sells a plain 24-month plan.
ExpressVPN sells 2 years plus 4 months. CyberGhost sells 2 years plus 2 months, and elsewhere on the same page, 2 years plus 3 months. Surfshark sells 24 months plus 3 extra months. The extra months are always framed as free bonus time on top of the real term.
Two things follow from that, and only one of them is in your favour.
The good part is that the bonus months are real. You genuinely get 28 months of service for $83.72, and the per-month figure they advertise already includes them, so the advertised rate is arithmetically honest.
The less good part is that odd terms make comparison harder. Comparing $2.99 across 28 months against $2.19 across 26 months against $2.49 across 27 months is not something anyone does in their head, and the differing lengths also mean your renewal dates land at unpredictable points rather than on a clean anniversary you might remember.
The fix is to ignore the monthly figure entirely and compare two numbers only: what you hand over today, and what the annual renewal is. For these three that is $83.72 then $99.95, $56.94 then $56.94, and $67.23 then an unpublished amount.
Who Should Pay ExpressVPN Prices
Being specific, because at $99.95 a year on renewal this is the expensive end of a market where $56.94 exists.
Worth it if your access is load-bearing. If you cannot run your business without reaching US-only services from abroad, reliability is the product and a few dollars a month is not the deciding factor. This is my situation and it is why I have historically paid the premium.
Worth it if you have been burned by a cheaper one failing. The cost of a VPN that stops working during a supplier call is not measured in subscription dollars.
Not worth it for casual privacy. If the use case is public wifi at an airport a few times a year, you are paying premium prices for a commodity outcome. The cheaper services do that job.
Not worth it if you will forget to review it. This is the real trap. The service is fine and the renewal is fair for what it is, but paying $99.95 a year for something you set up once and stopped thinking about is how software budgets quietly grow.
What I Would Actually Do
Buy Basic on the 28-month term. Put a calendar reminder at month 26.
That is the whole strategy. At month 26 you decide whether to keep it at $99.95 or move. Two years of a service you use daily for $83.72 is good value by any measure, and the only way it becomes bad value is by renewing on autopilot for years without checking whether it still earns its place.
The reminder is the important half. Nobody in this market punishes you for leaving. They rely on you not noticing.
For the feature-level detail rather than the money, my ExpressVPN review goes deeper. If you are weighing it against the other premium option, the NordVPN comparison is the one to read.
Where a VPN Fits in the Build Order
Worth saying, because this is a tool people buy early for the wrong reason.
A VPN solves an access problem. It does not solve a business problem. If you are outside the US and need to reach supplier portals, payment processors or your own bank, it is genuinely required infrastructure and you should buy it on day one.
If you are in the US and just read that VPNs are good practice, it is a $99.95 a year habit that changes nothing about whether your store works. Spend the attention on what you sell instead, which the high-ticket niches list covers at no cost.
Supplier approval is the actual constraint on this business, and none of it turns on your VPN. The process is laid out in the supplier outreach guide.
Distributors will want a registered entity before they discuss terms, which is covered in the business formation guide. If the model itself is still the open question, start with what high-ticket dropshipping actually is.
Read the Full Review Before You Commit 28 Months
The review covers speed, streaming, which countries it actually works in, and where the cheaper services match it.
Common Questions
How much does ExpressVPN cost in 2026?
Basic is $2.99 a month, billed $83.72 for the first 28 months, then $99.95 a year. Advanced is $4.49, billed $125.72, then $119.95 a year. Pro is $7.49, billed $209.72, then $199.95 a year.
Does the price go up after the first term?
Yes, substantially. Basic goes from $2.99 a month to $8.33, an increase of 179 percent. Advanced and Pro both rise about 122 percent. ExpressVPN publishes these renewal figures on its order page.
Which plan has the biggest price increase?
The cheapest one. Basic rises 179 percent at renewal while the two plans above it rise around 122 percent. Picking the entry tier for the headline price means taking the steepest cliff.
What does ExpressVPN actually cost per year long term?
After the first term, $99.95 a year on Basic. Across the first 40 months, Basic averages $4.59 a month rather than the advertised $2.99.
Is there a refund window?
Yes, 30 days for new users, stated next to every plan on the order page. Use it to test the specific things you need the VPN for rather than just checking that it connects.
Is ExpressVPN worth it over a cheaper VPN?
If reaching US services from abroad is load-bearing for your business, yes. If the use case is occasional public wifi, no. CyberGhost renews at $56.94 a year against ExpressVPN’s $99.95, and for casual use the difference in reliability will not be visible to you.
How many devices can I use?
Ten simultaneous devices, and that is on the entry Basic plan rather than gated to a higher tier.
The Short Version
The ladder is $2.99, $4.49 and $7.49 a month, each billed as a lump sum covering 28 months. Renewals are $99.95, $119.95 and $199.95 a year.
The cheapest plan has the steepest renewal at 179 percent. The dearer ones rise about 122 percent. Across the first 40 months, Basic really costs $4.59 a month.
ExpressVPN publishes its renewal prices, which is more than one of its major competitors does. That is worth something when you are comparing headline rates.
Buy Basic on the long term, set a reminder for month 26, and treat the 30-day window as the time to test the things you actually need it for.
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Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.
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