With Christmas right around the corner, plenty of us are expecting to get some sort of new tech – whether as a gift or by grabbing an exclusive deal in the seasonal sales.

However, the holidays aren’t just a busy time for Santa; they’re also when cybercrime reaches new heights, as bad actors look to take advantage of the surge in online shopping by pushing fake shops, phishing scams, and other schemes designed to dupe you out of your money.

So while you’re excited to unpack that new smartphone, tablet, or gaming console (hopefully it fits in a sock!), make sure one of the first things you do when you boot it up is install one of the best VPNs.

A VPN, or virtual private network, encrypts your traffic and masks your public IP address, which together prevents snoopers from seeing what you’re doing online or gaining unauthorized access to your data.

In the spirit of the holidays, we bring you three standout VPN deals that won’t just boost your digital privacy, but also help you save a few bucks on your VPN purchase.

1. Proton VPN

Proton VPN recently leapt to #3 in our overall VPN rankings, thanks to its commitment to consistent improvement, one of the most comprehensive privacy and security suites in the industry, and a recent UI refresh across its Windows, iOS, and Android apps, meaning it’s now also a good choice for anyone new to the world of VPNs.

A huge part of Proton VPN’s appeal is that it’s the most secure VPN on the market, with a solid track history, a tight no-logs policy that was successfully audited for the fourth time in September 2025, as well as open-source apps that allow anyone to independently verify the provider’s claims.

It offers a unique Secure Core feature, which routes your traffic through an additional ultra-secure server in a privacy-friendly location (Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden) before connecting you to your destination of choice.

Proton VPN also has a stacked suite of anti-censorship tools. Chief among them is its proprietary Stealth protocol, a form of VPN obfuscation that hides the fact you’re using a VPN, helping you stay under the radar in restrictive regimes.

It’s not all work and no play – Proton VPN is also a solid streaming VPN, with excellent unblocking, servers in 126 countries, and speeds so fast it tops our fastest VPN list. You can also connect up to 10 devices on a single account, which is right in line with the industry standard.

2. FastestVPN

Although FastestVPN doesn’t compete for a spot in our best VPN rankings, it’s still worth considering, especially because it offers a lifetime plan, and that too at a very competitive price. All you have to pay is $40 once, and that’s it – you get lifetime access. This essentially eliminates one of the biggest pain points of VPN pricing: recurring fees and post-introductory price hikes that many providers impose, even those that start out cheap.

However, don’t let FastestVPN’s low price tag fool you into thinking it’s bare-bones; it isn’t. It covers all the essentials we expect from a good VPN service, including solid encryption and a strict no-logs policy. Even better, FastestVPN has had its no-logs claim independently verified by a third party, so you can rest assured that this cheap VPN won’t store or share your data.

FastestVPN averaged around 700 Mbps the last time we tested it. While that doesn’t compete with the very fastest VPNs like Surfshark or ProtonVPN, it’s still more than enough speed for pretty much anything you’d want to do online, whether that’s streaming (you only need around 25 Mbps for 4K), gaming, or torrenting.

Speaking of streaming, everything we threw at FastestVPN worked, from Netflix and Prime Video to Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and even the likes of Hulu and HBO. The only legitimate downside to FastestVPN is its relatively smaller server network. It has around 800 servers, which is well below the top hitters.

On the plus side, though, FastestVPN has done a good job spreading those servers across 100+ locations worldwide, which is on par with what the best in the business offer. Finally, you’ll be able to share the love with pretty much your entire household, as FastestVPN supports 10 simultaneous connections and offers simple, beginner-friendly apps across all major platforms.

3. NordVPN

NordVPN continues to be our top-rated VPN and the one we recommend to most people. It delivers everything you’d expect from a VPN, including fast speeds, comprehensive unblocking, and a beefed-up set of security tools that make it more than just a VPN service – effectively a full-fledged internet security package.

That said, you don’t have to use all of NordVPN’s extra tools, such as Threat Protection Pro, email inbox protection, or the crypto wallet checker. Depending on your needs, you can even opt for its most basic plan, which, at $2.99 per month (plus tax) on a two-year term, is very reasonably priced and cheaper than both ExpressVPN and Proton VPN.

On the privacy front, NordVPN offers its proprietary WireGuard-based NordLynx protocol, which is both highly secure and recently audited. Speaking of audits, it passed its fifth independent no-logs audit in February 2025, and is also one of the few providers to offer post-quantum encryption (PQE).

Furthermore, NordVPN recently launched its NordWhisper protocol, which is designed to hide your VPN traffic and help you stay protected in censorship-heavy countries.

NordVPN also offers simple, intuitive apps across all device types. So, using it on multiple devices – which you can do thanks to its 10 simultaneous connections – is hassle-free, with a familiar interface no matter which device you’re on.

Krishi covers buying guides and how-to’s related to software, online tools, and tech products here at TechRadar. Over at Tom’s Guide, he writes exclusively on VPN services. You can also find his work on Techopedia and The Tech Report. As a tech fanatic, Krishi also loves writing about the latest happenings in the world of cybersecurity, AI, and software.