Price hikes and bitter rivalries – here are my VPN predictions for 2025

Just like that, 2024 is over – and what a year it was. From AI taking over the world to Elon Musk trying to do the same, the tech landscape is in complete flux. However, as the VPN editor at Tom’s Guide, I’m going to look at something I’m better versed in than most – the best VPNs. Predictable, right?

VPNs have continued to be a hot property throughout the year as people around the world become increasingly concerned about protecting their privacy. Combine that with the increased fragmentation and skyrocketing cost of streaming services, and you have the perfect storm for VPN obsession.

From a greater focus on privacy to an ongoing rivalry between two particular providers, here I’ll run down my VPN predictions for 2025.

Mo Harber-Lamond

Tom’s Guide’s top VPN expert, Mo tests VPN services every day to see what providers say they do and what it’s really like as an everyday user.

1. Going beyond the VPN

In 2024, a number of VPN providers branched out from their core product to offer broader online privacy and security. For example, IPVanish introduced a private, cloud-based browser of its own link checker, Surfshark further strengthened its Alternate ID and Alternate number technology, while NordVPN and ExpressVPN added a huge amount of features – but I’ll talk about that in a moment.

It’s clear that real people are looking for more comprehensive privacy suites compared to just a VPN. After all, VPN providers are for-profit businesses at the end of the day, so they wouldn’t invest money in developing these products if they weren’t going to be used. So it only makes sense that more providers would follow suit.

Graph of VPN encryption

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The top of my list is Private internet access (PIA). It is part of the Kape Technologies family – which also includes ExpressVPN and CyberGhost – which means there is potential investment there. It’s also one of the few highly rated VPN services that doesn’t offer anything other than a very capable VPN, making it ripe for expansion. Fingers crossed here as PIA is a very good product, great for advanced users.

2. The ExpressVPN vs NordVPN rivalry continues

When it comes to discussing the biggest and best VPN providers, the conversation almost always involves both ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Both are extremely well made, but over the past few years NordVPN has developed a lot of smart new features such as Threat Protection Pro, Cyber insurance and NordPasswhile ExpressVPN has stayed pretty much the same, only releasing the free ExpressVPN Keys password manager.

However, in 2024, ExpressVPN played an effective catch-up game, matching almost everything NordVPN had released a few months before. This included us expert features for better configuration, Dedicated IP, Identity Defender, Credit scannerand even global roaming holiday.com eSIM service.

ExpressVPN vs NordVPN

(Image credit: Future)

The big difference is that ExpressVPN offers all of this in one plan, while NordVPN lets you choose what you want – meaning NordVPN looks a lot cheaper, but if you’re going to use everything, ExpressVPN is the better choice. All of this made me wonder if ExpressVPN was actually becoming a bit of a bargain.

In 2025, I don’t expect either side to budge. While NordVPN may appear to be on top right now, ExpressVPN is clearly on the offensive, and if it can get ahead of its rival and release something original first, the tide could turn.

3. More independent audits

One of the most important things a VPN provider needs to do is convince you that its privacy claims can be trusted, and the easiest way to do this is to ask a trusted third party to corroborates this. This is done through auditing, which is the process of inviting a dedicated auditing firm – PwC, Deloitte, FSecure, etc. – inside the company to try to find evidence that everything is as it should be.

While not a foolproof method, a successful audit is a very good sign that a VPN provider has a secure infrastructure and lives up to what it promises in its no-logs policy.

Male hands using a mobile device overlaid with logos and images representing online privacy

(Image credit: Shutterstock/chayanuphol)

Most big names have been subject to multiple audits, but one notable name that isn’t PrivateVPN. We rate it as the best free VPNbut one of its few downsides is that we don’t have third-party proof that it doesn’t collect logs about its users.

I have no reason to disbelieve PrivadoVPN’s claims, but when you consider even the small players like Opera VPN has been auditedThe lack of Privado could become a red flag. Fingers crossed it will end up with one in 2025 – and you can almost guarantee that big names like ExpressVPN and NordVPN will be subject to additional scrutiny next year.

4. Price increase

This should come as no surprise, but with rising energy and labor costs, VPNs are becoming more and more expensive to run. Of course, the big players aren’t exactly cash-strapped, but I expect to see at least a few big-name providers raise prices in 2025.

This will probably be most apparent in January and February as a lot of VPNs continue Black Friday VPN Deals until the holiday period and then prices return to their effective maximum until spring. If you’re looking for a bargain, it’s a good idea to sign up before the New Year.