What’s the Best Lifetime VPN? (Are Lifetime VPNs Safe?)

A lifetime VPN subscription is, in theory, a VPN you pay for once and can use for the rest of your life. Many people like lifetime subscriptions because they’re affordable and seem to provide really good value. 

However, lifetime subscriptions aren’t always for real. Many of them are scams, or the VPN provider uses vague wording so that “lifetime” doesn’t actually mean “for the rest of your life.”

Instead, it could refer to the lifetime of the VPN provider or a random pet. So you’re better off using a lifetime VPN alternative instead.

Best Alternatives to Lifetime VPN services in 2023

1. NordVPN — best alternative for a lifetime VPN.
2. Surfshark — unlimited connections and fast speeds.
3. Atlas VPN — great free plan and super cheap.
4. PrivateVPN — budget-friendly and very easy to use.
5. ExpressVPN — excellent streaming support.

What Are the Best Lifetime VPN Services?

There are very few lifetime VPNs out there because it’s not profitable for a VPN provider to operate on a lifetime subscription model. That said, the best lifetime subscription you’ll find is likely Windscribe since it has a 7,980-year plan priced at $1,000 ($0.01 per month). It’s secure, fast, and good for streaming.

VPNUnlimited also runs lifetime VPN subscriptions from time to time. It’s not as good as Windscribe, though, as it has very slow speeds and only allows torrenting on a few servers.

How Much Do Lifetime VPN Subscriptions Cost?

On average, a lifetime VPN subscription costs anywhere between $30 and $200. These are the prices we saw when we checked out lifetime VPN subscriptions — both on the provider’s site and through third-party resellers.

Is a Lifetime VPN Subscription Worth It?

A lifetime VPN is convenient because you only pay once to get unlimited (or extremely long-term) access to the service. That said, here are some good reasons why you might want to avoid such deals:

• Some lifetime subscriptions are scams. You either don’t get a lifetime account or the VPN you subscribe to shuts down after a short time.
• Most lifetime VPNs are unreliable. If they only rely on a lifetime subscription model, they usually can’t make enough money. So they can’t afford to constantly maintain and patch their VPN service.
• Inaccurate definition of “lifetime plan.” Some lifetime VPNs use vague wording when it comes to how long the subscription is. Make sure you read the fine print before buying anything.
• If the VPN no longer works well (it stops unblocking your favorite streaming site, for example), you’re stuck with it. You can switch to a different VPN, but you won’t get a refund on your lifetime subscription.
• A different company could acquire the VPN and cancel the lifetime accounts. Or the VPN itself could start terminating lifetime accounts and upgrading them to yearly plans.

Best Alternatives to Lifetime VPNs – our detailed list:

You don’t need a lifetime subscription to get good value and save money. Many top VPNs have cheap long-term plans, generous refunds, and provide excellent user experience. We tested 20+ popular VPNs and found the best 5 alternatives:

1. NordVPN

NordVPN is one of the best lifetime VPN alternatives, as it has monthly and yearly plans. Its longest plan is for 2 years and is very budget-friendly. Even better, this provider has a 30-days money-back guarantee, so you can test the service risk-free to make sure it’s right for you.

We think NordVPN provides really good value. It works with tons of popular streaming sites, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. We tested this VPN for 1 week, multiple times throughout the day, and we never saw any proxy errors. You also get 4,600+ P2P servers in tons of countries. For faster downloads, you can use several SOCKS5 servers, which hide your IP but don’t encrypt your traffic.

What’s more, this provider has a huge server network — 5,000+ servers in 55+ countries. That makes it easy to find and connect to nearby servers for fast speeds. In our speed tests, this VPN provided us with lightning-fast speeds for all online activities. 

NordVPN also provides high-end security and privacy features. It has a strict no-logs policy that passed 2 independent security audits. Also, it has advanced security features like full leak protection and RAM-only servers (every server reset wipes all data). We also like that this provider has a colocated server network. That means it ships its own servers to data centers, so only NordVPN’s staff has access to them.

In addition to that, you get other great security features. There’s split-tunneling, obfuscation, double VPN connections, and Threat Protection. The latter gets rid of annoying ads, blocks malicious sites, and stops you from downloading malware-infected files.

NordVPN also has apps for all major platforms, which are extremely easy to use. They are intuitive, simple to navigate and come with quick-connect features.

Plus, if you ever experience any issues, this VPN has 24/7 live chat, responsive email support, and an in-depth support library.

To read more about this VPN, check out our full NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark

Surfshark provides great value and savings via its affordable monthly and yearly plans. Its 1-year plan is very budget-friendly and also provides 1 extra year of service for free. What’s more, this VPN has a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee, meaning you’ll always get a refund no matter the reason. Also, this VPN allows unlimited connections, which means you can use it on as many devices as you want. So this is a great pick if everyone in your house needs a good lifetime VPN alternative.

When we used this VPN, we were always able to access top sites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. We especially like that the Android app has a GPS spoofing feature, which lets you hide your GPS data. That way, you can also unblock streaming apps on your Android phone, as they can’t find your real location via your GPS data. Surfshark also provides very good torrenting support since it allows P2P traffic on all servers.

Speaking of servers, you get 3,200+ servers in 60+ countries with this provider. So you can find nearby servers and don’t have to worry about using overcrowded servers, which slow down your speeds. This VPN performed very well in our speed tests — we only experienced minimal slowdowns, even when using WiFi with a weak signal.

Plus, this VPN comes with high-end security features. It has obfuscation, double VPN servers, split tunneling, and an ad blocker. It also uses advanced security features like RAM-only servers. Also, the provider’s Nexus feature changes your IP address throughout the VPN connection to improve your privacy. What’s more, for a very small price, you can add extra security features:

• Surfshark Search — lets you search the web without dealing with ads, logs, and trackers.
• Surfshark Alert — alerts you if your accounts are compromised.
• Surfshark Antivirus — protects your devices from malware infections.

This provider has very user-friendly apps for all platforms and provides good 24/7 live chat support.

If you’re interested in reading more about this VPN, check out our hands-on Surfshark review.

3. Atlas VPN

Atlas VPN comes with a free plan, so you can test the service as much as you want before buying it. The free plan provides fast speeds, P2P support, unlimited connections, and strong security. Plus, it even works with some streaming sites, even though Atlas VPN doesn’t officially support streaming on its free plan. The free plan limits you to servers in the US and the Netherlands, and 10 GB per month.

Upgrading to Altas VPN’s paid plans is worth it because they’re very affordable and provide great value. The 3-year plan is the longest and is one of the cheapest plans on the market. What’s more, this VPN backs each purchase with a 30-day money-back guarantee. This is also one of the only VPNs that lets you ask for a refund twice.

This VPN service comes with excellent streaming and torrenting support. It worked with all major streaming services in our tests. We also like how most of its servers are optimized for streaming, meaning they provide a very smooth experience. Also, it allows P2P traffic on all servers and works with popular P2P apps like Vuze and qBittorrent.

This VPN also comes with 700+ servers in 30+ countries and provides really good speeds. In our tests, we didn’t experience noticeable slowdowns on local and nearby servers. On distant servers, we only experienced very minor slowdowns that didn’t affect our streaming, torrenting, and browsing.

Atlas VPN has excellent security features as well. We especially like its data breach monitoring tool, which lets you secure your online accounts with just a few clicks. An ad blocker is also available, which got rid of almost all ads in our tests. 

SafeSwap servers are also available, which regularly change your IP address throughout the VPN session. That makes it harder for anyone to track your VPN usage. Furthermore, this VPN has MultiHop+ servers that provide more security by sending your data through 2 VPN servers instead of 1 server. Atlas VPN even goes the extra mile and rotates the 2nd VPN server, making it nearly impossible for anyone to track your VPN traffic.

This VPN service also comes with user-friendly apps for most platforms. Support-wise, it has very responsive email support for free users and live chat for paid users.

If you’d like to find out more about this VPN, please check out our AtlasVPN Review.

4. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is a good alternative to a lifetime VPN if you’re new to VPNs since it’s very easy to use. It has monthly and yearly plans and its 1-year plan is where this provider really shines. That plan is extremely cheap and it also adds 2 years of service for free to your account. That’s very generous since most VPN deals only add a few months for free. You also get to test this service risk-free, as it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

We think PrivateVPN is one of the most beginner-friendly VPNs out there. It has apps for most platforms, which are extremely easy to install — the whole process won’t take more than 2 minutes. If you experience any issues, you can ask a support rep to set up the VPN via remote assistance. Furthermore, this provider’s apps are very simple to navigate. They also don’t have many features, so you won’t feel overwhelmed.

PrivateVPN only has 200+ servers, but they’re located in 60+ countries. In our speed tests, all our testers were able to find a nearby server to get fast connections. Plus, we also enjoyed fast streaming and gaming across all servers.

When we tested this VPN service with top streaming apps like Disney+ and Netflix, it worked without problems. We also like how all of its servers support P2P traffic.

Security-wise, PrivateVPN comes with an app-based kill switch in addition to a standard kill switch. That feature lets you pick which apps are shut down if the VPN disconnects. We used the app-level kill switch with qBittorrent and it always worked well. What’s more, you also get Stealth VPN, which provides traffic obfuscations.

Alongside remote assistance, PrivateVPN also provides 24/7 live chat, email support, and a helpful support library.

5. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a bit more expensive than other VPNs, but its longest plan still provides great savings. Also, with its 1-year plan, you get 3 extra months for free as well. In addition to that, this provider has a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it risk-free.

This VPN service is excellent for streaming since it works with top sites like Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu. It also unblocks 65+ other streaming apps, including sites like Crunchyroll, VRV, Pluto TV, and Sony Crackle. Torrenting-wise, it supports P2P traffic on all of its servers and works with top torrenting clients like uTorrent and Deluge.

This provider has one of the biggest server networks out there — 3,000+ servers in 90+ countries. It also provides some of the fastest speeds on the market. On both nearby and distant servers, 4K videos loaded instantly and we played online games without experiencing high ping.

You also get industry-leading security and privacy features with ExpressVPN. Its strict no-logs policy passed multiple independent security audits. What’s more, it has full leak protection, RAM-only servers, and perfect forward secrecy. The latter means this VPN changes the encryption key for each session to prevent hackers from compromising your traffic

On top of that, you get split-tunneling, obfuscation, and Threat Manager. The last feature stops trackers from spying on you and blocks connections to malicious sites.

ExpressVPN also has apps for all major platforms, which are extremely easy to use. It’s also one of the only VPNs that have a router app, which is very simple to install and use. So this is a great pick if you need a good VPN to use on devices that don’t natively support VPN apps.

This VPN provides excellent 24/7 customer support and also has one of the most in-depth support libraries out there. 

Want to read more about this VPN provider? Check out our full ExpressVPN review.

How to Pick the Best Alternative to a Lifetime VPN Service

Here are the metrics we used to rank the best alternatives to lifetime VPNs:

Long and affordable plans

We only recommend alternatives that have long-term plans (1–3 years). The VPNs we recommend also provide affordable plans and attractive discounts. Some even offer extra months of service for free with their longest plans.

Money-back guarantees

All the VPNs on our list come with generous money-back guarantees so that you can try them risk-free.

Strong security

All the VPNs we recommend have industry-standard security features. That includes a kill switch, a no-logs policy, bank-grade encryption, and leak protection.

Good value

We only recommend VPNs that give you your money’s worth. Our top picks have very fast speeds, large server networks, and excellent streaming and P2P support. They also have easy-to-use apps and come with extra features like an ad blocker or split-tunneling.

Lifetime VPN Service FAQs

Here are the most common questions people ask about lifetime VPNs. If you have more questions, please leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them as soon as possible.

What are the Best Lifetime VPN Services?

Windscribe is the best option since it comes with a 7,890-year plan priced at only $0.01 per month. It’s also a secure and fast VPN that’s good for streaming.

Are Lifetime VPNs Safe to Use?

It depends on which lifetime services you’re using. If it’s a legit one like Windscribe, it’s safe to use. However, if you buy sketchy lifetime plans from third-party resellers, you’ll likely subscribe to a fake VPN or a shady VPN that won’t operate for long.

Are There Free Lifetime VPN Services?

Free VPNs don’t have lifetime services since you don’t need to subscribe to them. However, Windscribe has a free plan and a lifetime subscription plan, and it’s also a safe VPN to use.

6. Can I Get a NordVPN

No, as NordVPN doesn’t offer lifetime subscriptions. Still, you can subscribe to its longest plan, which is for 2 years and is very affordable. It’s also backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

7. Can I Get an ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN doesn’t have a lifetime subscription option. Instead, it has an affordable 1-year plan that comes with 3 months of free service. Also, it backs each purchase with a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee.

Why Don’t Many VPNs Offer Lifetime Subscriptions?

Most VPNs don’t have lifetime deals because they’re not a sustainable business model. If a provider only relies on lifetime services, it won’t have a recurring income, so it won’t be able to continuously improve its service.