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.

The logins you are protecting belong in a password manager, not a spreadsheet in the tunnel. The agent on the laptop is antivirus for Canadian small businesses— a tunnel is not that scan. The server those logins open is web hosting for Canadian small businesses. The Admin centre you should not open on café Wi-Fi is Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365. The folder those logins open is cloud storage for Canadian small businesses. The restore of last Tuesday’s laptop is online backup for Canadian small businesses. The session you open on a client PC is remote desktop software for Canadian small businesses. The console that wipes the phone is MDM software for Canadian small businesses. The second factor on those logins is 2FA and authenticator apps for Canadian small businesses. The shop radio those logins ride is Wi-Fi routers and mesh systems for Canadian small businesses— a consumer mesh guest SSID is not this tunnel. A VPN is none of those.

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. The mailbox admin is Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365, not a second VPN seat. Client PDFs belong on cloud storage for Canadian small businesses, not in the tunnel. Last Tuesday’s laptop is online backup, not a second VPN seat.