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In a July 2019 comparison, monthly VPN plans from several major providers cost about $12, while some long-term plans advertised monthly equivalents under $3. Those lower figures generally reflected a multi-year commitment, not a month-to-month payment: the full term could be billed upfront. The prices below are historical snapshots, not current offers.
How to compare 2019 VPN prices
A monthly equivalent is useful for comparing plans, but it is not necessarily the amount charged each month. Before weighing an offer, check the total due at checkout, the commitment length, the equivalent monthly rate, and any promotional or renewal terms documented by the source. A two- or three-year offer may look inexpensive per month while requiring payment for the entire term at once.
The figures here are provider and publication snapshots, not a market-wide average or a complete record of every promotion available throughout 2019. Prices are in U.S. dollars where stated by the cited coverage.
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Prices reported in 2019 comparisons
Tom’s Hardware published a comparison on July 28, 2019, with these listed rates. Its two-year CyberGhost figures conflict between the article’s prose and its comparison table, so both are shown rather than treating either as definitive.
#1 Best Overall
- 【Five Gigabit Ports】1 Gigabit WAN Port plus 2 Gigabit WAN/LAN Ports plus 2 Gigabit LAN Port. Up to 3 WAN ports optimize bandwidth usage through one device.
- 【One USB WAN Port】Mobile broadband via 4G/3G modem is supported for WAN backup by connecting to the USB port. For complete list of compatible 4G/3G modems, please visit TP-Link website.
- 【Abundant Security Features】Advanced firewall policies, DoS defense, IP/MAC/URL filtering, speed test and more security functions protect your network and data.
- 【Highly Secure VPN】Supports up to 20× LAN-to-LAN IPsec, 16× OpenVPN, 16× L2TP, and 16× PPTP VPN connections.
- Security - SPI Firewall, VPN Pass through, FTP/H.323/PPTP/SIP/IPsec ALG, DoS Defence, Ping of Death and Local Management. Standards and Protocols IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, IEEE 802.3x, IEEE 802.1q
| Provider | Monthly plan | One-year plan | Two-year plan | Three-year plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CyberGhost | $12.99 per month | $5.99 per month | $3.29 per month in the prose; $3.69 per month in the table | $2.75 per month |
| NordVPN | $11.95 per month | $6.99 per month | not stated in this comparison | $2.99 per month |
| Surfshark | $11.95 per month | $5.99 per month | not stated in this comparison | not stated in this comparison |
| ExpressVPN | $12.95 per month | $8.32 per month | not stated in this comparison | not stated in this comparison |
These are the monthly rates reported in Tom’s Hardware’s July 28, 2019 comparison; the source does not establish the total checkout charge or full billing terms for each entry. The conflicting CyberGhost two-year values are from the prose and table of that same article. Tom’s Hardware’s VPN comparison.
NordVPN examples: total payment versus monthly equivalent
A January 2019 Windows Central comparison described NordVPN at about $12 for one month, about $84 for one year, and about $96 for two years, billed as lump sums. It characterized the two-year price as about $4 per month when averaged across the term, versus about $12 month to month. The amounts were rounded and may not match every promotion. Windows Central’s January 2019 comparison.
Rank #2
- 【AC1200 Dual-band Wireless Router】Simultaneous dual-band with wireless speed up to 300 Mbps (2.4GHz) + 867 Mbps (5GHz). 2.4GHz band can handles some simple tasks like emails or web browsing while bandwidth intensive tasks such as gaming or 4K video streaming can be handled by the 5GHz band.*Speed tests are conducted on a local network. Real-world speeds may differ depending on your network configuration.*
- 【Easy Setup】Please refer to the User Manual and the Unboxing & Setup video guide on Amazon for detailed setup instructions and methods for connecting to the Internet.
- 【Pocket-friendly】Lightweight design(145g) which designed for your next trip or adventure. Alongside its portable, compact design makes it easy to take with you on the go.
- 【Full Gigabit Ports】Gigabit Wireless Internet Router with 2 Gigabit LAN ports and 1 Gigabit WAN ports, ideal for lots of internet plan and allow you to connect your wired devices directly.
- 【Keep your Internet Safe】IPv6 supported. OpenVPN & WireGuard pre-installed, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers. Cloudflare encryption supported to protect the privacy.
Separately, TheBestVPN’s retrospective price history lists a NordVPN three-year plan at $3.49 per month in November 2019. This is a secondary record, not proof that every customer could obtain that offer throughout the month. TheBestVPN’s NordVPN price history.
Other reported ExpressVPN prices
WIRED lists ExpressVPN at $12.95 monthly, $59.95 for six months, and $99.95 yearly. The accessible review listing does not establish the publication date of that exact price table, so these figures should not be treated as a verified annual 2019 snapshot. WIRED’s ExpressVPN review.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Next-Gen Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 Speeds: 2402 Mbps on 5 GHz and 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz bands ensure smoother streaming and faster downloads; support VPN server and VPN client¹
- A More Responsive Experience: Enjoy smooth gaming, video streaming, and live feeds simultaneously. OFDMA makes your Wi-Fi stronger by allowing multiple clients to share one band at the same time, cutting latency and jitter.²
- Expanded Wi-Fi Coverage: 4 high-gain external antennas and Beamforming technology combine to extend strong, reliable, Wi-Fi throughout your home.
- Improved Battery Life: Target Wake Time helps your devices to communicate efficiently while consuming less power.
- Improved Cooling Design: No heat ups, no throttles. A larger heat sink and redefined case design cools the WiFi 6 system and enables your network to stay at top speeds in more versatile environments.
Rank #4
- 【DUAL BAND WIFI 7 TRAVEL ROUTER】Products with US, UK, EU, AU Plug; Dual band network with wireless speed 688Mbps (2.4G)+2882Mbps (5G); Dual 2.5G Ethernet Ports (1x WAN and 1x LAN Port); USB 3.0 port.
- 【NETWORK CONTROL WITH TOUCHSCREEN SIMPLICITY】Slate 7’s touchscreen interface lets you scan QR codes for quick Wi-Fi, monitor speed in real time, toggle VPN on/off, and switch providers directly on the display. Color-coded indicators provide instant network status updates for Ethernet, Tethering, Repeater, and Cellular modes, offering a seamless, user-friendly experience.
- 【OpenWrt 23.05 FIRMWARE】The Slate 7 (GL-BE3600) is a high-performance Wi-Fi 7 travel router, built with OpenWrt 23.05 (Kernel 5.4.213) for maximum customization and advanced networking capabilities. With 512MB storage, total customization with open-source freedom and flexible installation of OpenWrt plugins.
- 【VPN CLIENT & SERVER】OpenVPN and WireGuard are pre-installed, compatible with 30+ VPN service providers (active subscription required). Simply log in to your existing VPN account with our portable wifi device, and Slate 7 automatically encrypts all network traffic within the connected network. Max. VPN speed of 100 Mbps (OpenVPN); 540 Mbps (WireGuard). *Speed tests are conducted on a local network. Real-world speeds may differ depending on your network configuration.*
- 【PERFECT PORTABLE WIFI ROUTER FOR TRAVEL】The Slate 7 is an ideal portable internet device perfect for international travel. With its mini size and travel-friendly features, the pocket Wi-Fi router is the perfect companion for travelers in need of a secure internet connectivity on the go in which includes hotels or cruise ships.
Rank #3
- New-Gen WiFi Standard – WiFi 6(802.11ax) standard supporting MU-MIMO and OFDMA technology for better efficiency and throughput.Antenna : External antenna x 4. Processor : Dual-core (4 VPE). Power Supply : AC Input : 110V~240V(50~60Hz), DC Output : 12 V with max. 1.5A current.
- Ultra-fast WiFi Speed – RT-AX1800S supports 1024-QAM for dramatically faster wireless connections
- Increase Capacity and Efficiency – Supporting not only MU-MIMO but also OFDMA technique to efficiently allocate channels, communicate with multiple devices simultaneously
- 5 Gigabit ports – One Gigabit WAN port and four Gigabit LAN ports, 10X faster than 100–Base T Ethernet.
- Commercial-grade Security Anywhere – Protect your home network with AiProtection Classic, powered by Trend Micro. And when away from home, ASUS Instant Guard gives you a one-click secure VPN.
What these historical prices do—and do not—show
- In the cited July comparison, monthly plans clustered around $12, while select longer commitments had advertised monthly equivalents below $3.
- That comparison is not evidence of a typical price across the entire VPN market or every day of 2019; offers varied by provider, date, term, and promotion.
- Tom’s Hardware gives two different CyberGhost two-year rates in the same article. Neither should be silently presented as the settled figure.
- A Creative Bloq NordVPN page contains mixed historical and later references, including two- and three-year rates, so those values cannot be safely assigned to 2019. Creative Bloq’s NordVPN review.
- None of these historical rates establishes what a VPN subscription costs today. Check the provider’s current checkout terms before buying.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
