Best VPN for Canadian small businesses and remote sole props

A Smithville sole prop on hotel Wi-Fi needs the laptop’s traffic encrypted so the next table cannot read Wave. They do not need a “ghost protocol” landing page or a promise that the CRA cannot see them. The useful job is cafe and travel Wi-Fi, a dedicated IP if a bank blocks shared exits, and an honest USD vs CAD bill.

This comparison is four options Canadians actually open: NordVPN (geo-priced checkout; US blog figures cited in USD), ExpressVPN (USD on the order page), Surfshark (dollar intros; unlimited devices), and 1.1.1.1 with WARP (free tunnel, not a country-hop). VPN prices checked against public vendor pages, 6 September 2026. Buttons are official marketing URLs, not affiliate trackers.

The logins you are protecting belong in a password manager, not a spreadsheet in the tunnel. The server those logins open is web hosting for Canadian small businesses. A VPN is neither.

Who this page is for

• A remote sole prop who works from libraries, hotels, and client conference Wi-Fi.
• A two- to ten-person shop that needs a cheap extra hop — not a SASE RFP.
• Someone who was told 1.1.1.1 is “the same as NordVPN for Netflix and banking.”

Snapshot (public pages, 6 September 2026)

NordVPN — geo-priced checkout, USD blog figures

nordvpn.com/pricing is geo-priced and did not return a static CAD card in this research. NordVPN’s official blog “How much does a VPN cost” (checked 29 July 2026 against official US pricing pages) prints USD. Confirm currency and tax at checkout — do not invent a CAD SKU from a coupon site. Official NordVPN blog (29 July 2026, US pricing pages): Basic advertised US$3.49/month equivalent, US$94.23 due for the initial term. Long-term NordVPN prices are introductory. The same official blog says renewal prices may differ. Confirm the renewal line before you treat US$3.49 as the year-three bill. Sources: https://nordvpn.com/pricing/; https://nordvpn.com/blog/how-much-does-a-vpn-cost/.

Nord is the brand Canadians already have in a bookmark. This page will not paste a coupon-site “CA$4.79” onto a NorthOffice table. Pay the invoice you are shown, including GST/HST if Nord adds it, and put the HostPapa login in 1Password or Bitwarden.

ExpressVPN — USD, printed renewal, US extras

Official expressvpn.com/order (6 September 2026): expressvpn.com/order: “All amounts shown are in USD. Sales tax applied at checkout where applicable.” Basic US$2.99/month advertised on 2 years + 4 months (US$83.72 billed for the first 28 months; list US$419.72). Then autorenews at US$99.95 annually. 10 devices. Advanced US$4.49/month on the same 28-month promo (US$125.72 first term; then US$119.95/year). 12 devices. Includes ExpressKeys password manager and US identity-insurance add-ons. Express Pro US$7.49/month on the 28-month promo (US$209.72 first term; then US$199.95/year). 14 devices. Dedicated IP included. ExpressVPN for Teams: 5-license minimum, bulk discounts — no public CAD seat table on the consumer order page. Source: https://www.expressvpn.com/order.

Identity Defender insurance is underwritten by an Assurant company and the compare table lists SSN monitoring — a US product, not a Canadian credit-file tool. If you bought Advanced for the password add-on, still read password managers for Canadian small businesses — ExpressKeys is not a Toronto-addressed shop vault.

Surfshark — cheap unlimited devices, intro dollars

Official surfshark.com/pricing (6 September 2026): Starter US$2.49/month advertised — US$67.23 for the first 27 months (VAT may apply). Unlimited simultaneous devices. One US$2.79/month advertised — US$75.33 for the first 27 months (VAT may apply). Adds antivirus / Alert-class extras. 2-year plans are billed once up front, then annually at the applicable renewal price. Confirm that renewal before you budget US$2.49 forever. surfshark.com/pricing prints dollar amounts and says pricing may vary by currency, VAT, and coupons. The page does not print CAD. Treat the list as USD-style until checkout says otherwise. Source: https://surfshark.com/pricing.

Unlimited devices is the practical reason a five-laptop shop looks here first. Dedicated IP is an add-on on that page — not a published CAD SKU. Confirm tax at checkout.

1.1.1.1 / WARP — free tunnel, not a country-hop

Official 1.1.1.1 (6 September 2026): 1.1.1.1 with WARP: $0 — encrypts DNS and device traffic on Cloudflare’s network. WARP+ Unlimited: paid via Apple App Store or Google Play only (Cloudflare WARP help). No public CAD list on 1.1.1.1. Official WARP help: WARP protects traffic like a VPN in many ways, but it is not designed for anonymity or to pretend you are in another country. Sources: https://1.1.1.1/; https://support.cloudflarewarp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360019372194-Is-the-1-1-1-1-app-a-VPN; https://support.cloudflarewarp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025731113-What-is-the-difference-between-1-1-1-1-WARP-and-WARP-Unlimited.

Cloudflare Zero Trust Free: $0 forever, 50-user limit (Canada Zero Trust plans page). Zero Trust pay-as-you-go: $7/user/month, no user cap. 1.1.1.1 with WARP is $0. WARP+ Unlimited is a paid App Store / Play Store add-on — this page does not invent a CAD IAP price. Cloudflare Zero Trust on cloudflare.com/en-ca/plans/zero-trust-services/ prints $0 forever (≤50 users) and $7/user/month pay-as-you-go with no CAD label — confirm currency at checkout. Source: https://www.cloudflare.com/en-ca/plans/zero-trust-services/.

Use WARP so hotel Wi-Fi is not naked. Use Zero Trust Free when the job is “staff reach an internal app without opening a port,” not “appear in Tokyo.” Do not pay Nord for the first job if Cloudflare already covers it.

A practical pick

1. Library or hotel Wi-Fi, no country-hop: 1.1.1.1 with WARP at $0.
2. Under 50 people and a private app to lock down: Cloudflare Zero Trust Free, then the $7/user/month line if you outgrow 50.
3. Whole household plus shop laptops, lowest intro: Surfshark Starter (budget the 27-month US$67.23, then the renewal).
4. Want a printed USD renewal after the promo: ExpressVPN Basic (US$99.95/year after the 28-month intro).
5. Already booked Nord from a Canadian IP: pay what checkout shows. Do not treat a US blog US$3.49 as your CAD invoice.
6. Dedicated IP because a bank or merchant portal hates shared exits: Express Pro (dedicated IP included) or Surfshark’s add-on — confirm the current add-on price at checkout.
7. The actual risk is shared HostPapa and registrar passwords: password managers and hosting, then optionally a tunnel.