Do You Actually Need a VPN in 2026? (Honest Answer: Probably Not)

Updated 2026-02-15 · 6 min read

Every YouTube video, podcast, and tech blog pushes VPNs like they're essential. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark — sponsors spend $500M+/year on influencer marketing alone. They make it sound like you're naked on the internet without one. The reality? Most people don't need a VPN, and the ones who do can get by with a free option.

🎙️ The Sponsorship Pipeline

Here's what VPN companies don't tell you: they pay YouTubers $50-100 per sign-up. That "honest review" of NordVPN? The creator made $5,000-50,000 from it. VPN marketing is one of the highest-paying affiliate categories in tech — which is why every creator pushes them regardless of whether their audience needs one.

What VPNs Actually Cost

VPN	Monthly	Best Deal	Real Annual
NordVPN	$12.99	$3.09/mo (2yr)	$99.48 (renews at $139)
ExpressVPN	$12.95	$6.67/mo (15mo)	$99.84 (renews at $155)
Surfshark	$12.95	$2.49/mo (2yr)	$59.76 (renews at $59.76)
ProtonVPN	$9.99	$4.99/mo (2yr)	$119.76 (or free tier)

⚠️ The Renewal Price Trap

VPNs hook you with a cheap 2-year rate, then renewal price jumps 40-100%. That "$3.09/month NordVPN deal" becomes $11.59/month when it renews. Always set a cancellation reminder before the renewal date.

When You DON'T Need a VPN

Browsing at home: Your ISP can see your DNS queries, but HTTPS (the padlock icon) already encrypts your data in transit. A VPN just shifts trust from your ISP to the VPN company
"Hackers on public WiFi": This was a real threat in 2010. In 2026, virtually every website uses HTTPS encryption. The "hacker at Starbucks" scenario is massively overblown
"Privacy" in general: VPNs don't stop Google, Facebook, or advertisers from tracking you. Those use cookies, fingerprinting, and logged-in tracking — none of which a VPN blocks
Antivirus protection: VPNs don't protect against malware, phishing, or viruses despite what ads imply

When You DO Need a VPN

Streaming geo-restricted content: Watching UK Netflix from the US, etc. (though services are getting better at blocking VPNs)
Countries with internet censorship: China, Iran, Russia, etc.
Torrenting: Hiding P2P traffic from your ISP
Journalist/activist threat model: Hiding traffic from state actors
Bypassing work/school network restrictions: Accessing blocked content

Free Alternatives That Cover Most People

Option	Cost	Best For
iCloud Private Relay	Free (with iCloud+)	Safari browsing privacy (Apple users)
ProtonVPN Free	$0	Basic VPN needs (no data cap)
Cloudflare WARP	$0	Faster DNS + basic encryption
Brave browser (built-in)	$0	Ad/tracker blocking without VPN

The VPN Subscription Stack

Many people have multiple "security" subscriptions that overlap:

Service	Annual
NordVPN	$99-139
Norton 360 (includes VPN)	$90-350
Dashlane (includes VPN)	$60
Total if stacked	$249-549/yr

If you have Norton 360 AND NordVPN, you're literally paying for two VPNs. Audit your security subscriptions.

✅ Bottom Line

If you're paying for a VPN because a YouTuber told you to, cancel it. HTTPS already encrypts your traffic. If you genuinely need one (geo-streaming, torrenting, censorship), ProtonVPN Free is unlimited and trustworthy. Save $60-150/year by being honest about whether you actually use it.

How many security subscriptions are you paying for?

VPNs, antivirus, password managers, identity protection — upload your bank statement to find the overlap.

Find All Subscriptions →