Have you heard that half of Americans are using a virtual private network (VPN)? Why not? Lord knows I’ve been shouting about it from VICE’s rooftops for the last year. And I’ve been nudging people toward using a VPN; and not just any VPN, but one of the Best VPNs.

NordVPN, which gets my nod as the overall best VPN you can pay for, has a deal for April 2026 in which you can get three months of a subscription for $7.99 per month, down from the usual $12.49 per month. There are a couple of other deals on the same page for 20 months and two years, at $4.49 and $3.89 per month, respectively, but I’m zoomed in on the three-month deal because it’s a perfect amount of time to give a VPN a test drive without committing too much up front.

you’ve gotta pay, just less than usual

If you want a reputable free VPN, your choices are slim. Most of them are spyware or adware. The free version of Proton VPN, though, is a standout as a reputable VPN. I’ve tested it, and it’s solid. But to get the full suite of VPN features, with the widest selection of the fastest service, you have to lay out some cash.

When it comes to a paid VPN, NordVPN takes the cake. I’ve been using it as my default VPN for years. I’m typing this right now through a NordVPN connection, actually. It’s reliable, and more so than its competition the servers that I connect through are ultra fast.

Springing for a single month of NordVPN would run you $12.99 right now, since it’s not on sale. Why bother? For $23.97 you can get three months, so you may as well. That’ll give you enough time to really put the VPN to use, seeing how it functions with your work platforms, streaming movies, and cruising the internet before you make the call for a longer commitment or not.