Okay, so listen up, because this just hit my inbox and, honestly, I had to do a double-take. Eighty-seven percent off. That’s not a typo. We’re talking 87% off some of the “best” VPNs out there. Like, ProtonVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, NordVPN – the whole gang. It’s bonkers. Engadget dropped the news, and my first thought was, “Wait, what’s going on here?” Because, let’s be real, a deal that big usually comes with a catch, right? Or at least a whole lot of questions.

“Best” VPNs, Big Discounts, and My Cynical Brain

Here’s the thing about VPNs: everyone says you need one. And you probably do. I mean, between your ISP sniffing around your browsing habits (yeah, they do that), the random coffee shop Wi-Fi that’s basically a public billboard for your data, and all those streaming services playing region-lock games, a VPN is pretty much essential if you wanna keep your digital life, well, yours. It encrypts your traffic, hides your IP address, makes it look like you’re chilling in Timbuktu when you’re really on your couch in Ohio. It’s good stuff.

But 87% off? That’s like buying a brand-new car for pocket change. It feels… aggressive. Don’t get me wrong, I love a deal as much as the next person. Who doesn’t want to save a few bucks? But when the discount is this steep, especially on something as critical as your online security and privacy, my journalist-brain (which, after 15 years, is pretty much just a finely-tuned skepticism machine) starts buzzing. What’s the play here?

Engadget’s deal roundup is pretty straightforward. They list a bunch of providers: Surfshark, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access (PIA), IPVanish. And the discounts are legit – some of these are really, really low prices. Like, Surfshark for a couple bucks a month. ProtonVPN, which I’ve always thought of as one of the more reputable, privacy-focused ones, is on the list too. So it’s not just some fly-by-night operations trying to clear inventory. These are the big players. The heavy hitters.

What’s “Best” Anyway?

And that’s where it gets interesting. Because when we talk about “the best VPNs,” we’re not just talking about speed or how many servers they have. We’re talking about trust. We’re talking about their logging policies (or lack thereof, hopefully). We’re talking about whether they’ve had any nasty security breaches. I mean, you’re routing all your internet traffic through these guys. You gotta trust ’em. And if they’re suddenly practically giving it away, it makes you wonder what’s going on behind the scenes. Is the market just that saturated? Are they all in a price war that’s gone completely off the rails?

Are We Just Chasing the Cheapest?

You probably noticed this pattern before, especially around big shopping holidays. Everything goes on sale. Everything. But VPNs are a service, not just a product. It’s an ongoing thing. And if the price drops this low, it makes me think about a few things. First, their profit margins must be insane if they can still turn a profit at 87% off. Or, second, they’re playing the long game – get you hooked at a super low price, then hope you forget to cancel or maybe you’ll eventually pay full price. Not gonna lie, I’ve fallen for that one before. Sign up for a year of something I barely use because it was “such a good deal.”

“It’s like everyone’s screaming ‘privacy!’ but then selling it off for pennies. Makes you wonder if anyone actually believes it’s valuable.”

And it’s not like these deals are new. VPN providers are always running some kind of promotion. Always. It’s rare to see them at full price, actually. But 87%? That’s just a whole other level. It almost feels desperate. Like, “Please, for the love of all that is holy, just sign up!” Which, again, for a service that’s supposed to be protecting your most sensitive online activities, a feeling of desperation from the provider isn’t exactly confidence-inspiring, you know?

The Real Deal with These Deals

The thing is, these deeply discounted prices usually lock you into a longer-term plan – two years, three years, maybe even five. So while you’re paying next to nothing per month, you’re committing for a long time. And a lot can happen in that time. VPN technology changes. The regulatory environment changes. Companies get bought out. Their policies might shift. So, you’re betting on a company remaining “the best” for a really extended period, based on a price that’s, frankly, unsustainable for a truly premium service if it were their regular rate.

I mean, if you’re ExpressVPN, which has always positioned itself as a top-tier, slightly pricier option, and you’re suddenly slashing prices this deep, it just signals a race to the bottom. And a race to the bottom almost never ends well for the consumer, at least not in terms of quality or long-term reliability. Someone’s gotta cut corners somewhere to make up for those huge discounts. That’s just business. Now, am I saying these specific VPNs are cutting corners? Not necessarily, not right now. But it’s a pattern I’ve seen play out in other industries, and it usually means the golden age of whatever product or service it is, well, it’s probably over.

What’s interesting here is that the demand for VPNs isn’t really going down. People are more aware than ever about online privacy. Governments are getting more intrusive. Content is still geo-blocked. So it’s not a shrinking market. It’s an exploding one. And in an exploding market, you’d think prices would stabilize, or even go up for truly premium services. But nope. Down they go. Way, way down. It’s kind of wild, if you think about it.

What This Actually Means

Look, if you need a VPN (and you probably do, seriously), these deals are a chance to grab one for super cheap. Like, ridiculously cheap. For a couple of bucks a month, you get a solid chunk of online privacy and access. And for a lot of people, that’s a no-brainer. If you’ve been putting it off, now’s your shot. Go for it. Get Surfshark or NordVPN or even ProtonVPN if you want something a bit more robust.

But here’s my honest take: don’t just jump on the cheapest one because it’s 87% off. Do a little homework. Seriously, just a little. Check out their recent reviews. See if they’ve had any scandals lately (VPNs, bless their hearts, do sometimes have scandals). Make sure their no-logs policy actually holds up under scrutiny. Because an 87% discount is awesome for your wallet, but if the VPN itself isn’t actually doing its job, or worse, if it’s compromising your data, then it doesn’t matter how cheap it was. You’ve just paid for a false sense of security.

So yeah, go get your deal. Save some cash. But remember that when something sounds too good to be true, it often is. Or at the very least, there’s a story behind that shiny, low price tag. And that story usually isn’t just about charity. It’s about business, and sometimes, the kind of business that makes my cynical journalist heart beat just a little bit faster with suspicion…