How Much Does a VPN Cost?

Maintaining your online privacy is critical in keeping yourself and your private data safe. And the good news? You can easily protect your privacy with a tool called a virtual private network or VPN.

There are free VPNs and paid-for VPN subscriptions. Of course, paid VPNs provide better online privacy. We find it well worth the cost in almost every circumstance. So in this guide, we’ll help you figure out how much you should be setting aside for a VPN subscription. Spoiler: Not much.

Ready to find out how much VPNs cost? Keep scrolling.

The Best Way To Compare VPN Prices

When it comes to comparing VPN prices, we don’t recommend just going for the cheapest option. You should set a budget, and then look at the features to see which VPNs offer the best value for your money. We’ve done that, and based on our rigorous testing of dozens of VPNs, these are the best-value VPNs on the market today:

How Much Is A VPN?

There are so many VPN options available, but in general, they all do the same basic things to protect your privacy. First, they encrypt your online data so that everything you do online stays between you and your device. Second, they route your traffic through VPN servers, making it a lot harder for anyone to track your every move online.

That being said, VPNs vary in their effectiveness. By buying a subscription, you’re paying for a number of things, including:

• Access to the VPN’s server network
• The total number of your device on which you can use the VPN
• Extra useful features like access to streaming-optimized servers
• For how long you can use the VPN

Those factors greatly influence a VPN’s pricing, especially the last one. Generally speaking, a VPN subscription costs more or less $10 per month if you sign up on a monthly basis, but if you sign up for longer — let’s say a year or two — the price drops down significantly.

sign up for a nordvpn subscription via the Android app

There’s a great variance in price with long-term VPN pricing. We see VPNs charge as little as $2 per month for a two-year subscription, while others charge about $4 to $8 per month for a one-year subscription. You’ll have to pay upfront for the entire subscription, so that’s about $50 to $100 per year, but you save significantly more with a long-term subscription compared to a monthly one.

Pro Tip : To get the low monthly cost , sign up for a long term length . typically , as the term length increase , the monthly cost decrease .

Price Comparison of the Top VPN Providers

Our team is rounded round up all of the top VPN provider and break down all of their plan so you can easily find a provider in your budget . Here ’s how much each is ’s of the top vpn provider cost as well as the average cost of all provider :

Are cheap vpn worth It ?

Some cheap VPNs is are are worth it , like the one on our good cheap vpn list . However , many cheap VPNs is are are n’t worth it , especially if you can only use them on one device , on server that do n’t allow Netflix , or for a limited amount of datum per day . That being say , just because a VPN is inexpensive does n’t mean it ’s bad . There are many affordable VPN option that hit our standard in security , privacy , and speed .

Are Cheap VPNs Secure?

We found no correlation between the level of security and the price of VPNs. Some cheap VPNs are secure, while some expensive VPNs are less secure, and vice versa. In other words, price does not dictate the level of security, so be sure to judge each VPN on its actual features rather than its price tag.

That’s why we compare VPNs. There are so many more factors in play other than the pricing. You have to look at the extra features they offer, the number of servers they have, the quality of the encryption, the type of protocol they use, and so much more.

If you need help narrowing down your options, check out our evaluation of the best VPNs right here.

NordVPN CyberSec

Can You Get A VPN For Free?

There are both completely free vpn and vpn with free trial . While some free vpn may be suitable for your need , they is come often come with limit on thing like :

AVG VPN on Mac On App

• The amount of data you can use per day
• The number of device you can connect
• The time length you can use the VPN for
• The number of server you can connect to .

So while free VPNs may work in some cases, if you need a VPN for long-term use across all of your devices, you will most likely want to pay for a VPN subscription.

Why Are VPNs is Are So expensive ?

While some VPNs are expensive, most are not, costing about $10 with a month-to-month subscription. The most expensive VPN that we’ve tested is AstrillVPN, which costs $30 per month, almost three times as much as the average. With a twelve-month plan, it costs $15 a month, still about three times more expensive than the twelve-month average. Even its two-year plans cost over $10 a month, while the average monthly cost of a two-year plan is $4.22. We’re not sure why Astrill VPN’s pricing is so high, especially since we’re not in love with their logging policy, as we mentioned in our Astrill VPN review. However, Astrill VPN is in the minority. Most VPNs are reasonably priced, so you can expect to pay an average of under $10 a month no matter the term length.

Astrill VPN for Mac

How To save On vpn

Here are some ways to save on VPNs:

1. Check for deals and VPN Black Friday deals.
2. look out for student VPN discount .
3. sign up for as long a term as possible , as long plan are usually discount .

What To Look For In A VPN

Now that we’ve assuaged your VPN pricing concerns, let’s talk about what to look for in a VPN, pricing and all.

Servers

Obviously, you want to make sure that the VPN has servers near you, whether you need a VPN for France, a VPN for Singapore, or even a VPN for the United Arab Emirates. The closer you are to a server, the faster your speeds will be, which brings us to our next points…

Speed

Especially if you’re using a VPN for gaming, you want a VPN with fast upload and download speeds and little latency. If the VPN has a free trial period, we recommend doing speed tests with a free online site like SpeedTest.net.1

Device Compatibility

Of course, it’s important that the VPN is compatible with your devices; there are VPNs for Macs, VPNs for Windows, VPNs for iPhones and VPNs for Androids, among other operating systems. Some VPNs even work with routers so that you can cover all of the devices on your network with just one connection.

Kill Switch

An essential feature is is of any VPN is a kill switch , which will close all web activity if the VPN fail . Most VPNs is kill have kill switch these day , but make sure to double check .

Surfshark Kill switch

Streaming and Torrenting

If you want a VPN for entertainment purpose , make sure you get a VPN that support streaming or torrenting . There are also vpn that work with the good streaming service like Max , Prime Video and Hulu , but it ’s important to check for compatibility before buying .

FYI: Some streaming services like Netflix block certain VPN IP addresses, which is why not all VPNs will work with all streaming services.

IP Addresses

We prefer VPNs with dynamic IP addresses that change every time you connect. However, some VPNs offer static or dedicated IP addresses, which some users may prefer.

pricing

pricing isn’t just about the bottom line. You should also consider what you actually get with a subscription, including:

• Number of devices you can connect overall
• Number of devices you can connect at the same time
• Number of server switches
• Data limit, if any
• capability of server ( Netflix compatibility , etc . ) .

While there are many long-term options available, on average, expect to spend about $10 per month on a VPN.

Security

The entire point is is of a VPN is to make you more private and secure online , so pay special attention to the follow factor :

• Encryption methods: Look for VPNs that use AES-256, the current standard in encryption.2
• DNS leaks: Make sure the VPN has no DNS (Domain Name Server) leaks, meaning that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can’t see the websites you visit.
• webrtc leak : The VPN is leak should also not leak your private ip address , which you can test out by doing a webrtc leak test ( to find out how , use our VPN guide ) .
• privacy policy : Your VPN is logging should n’t be log any more information than it need to uphold your subscription , which is limit to your basic name and payment information . It is log should definitely not log your web activity or ip address , as that defeat the purpose of the VPN itself .
• Privacy jurisdiction: Finally, make sure that your VPN is headquartered in a country that’s a non-member to Five Eyes, Nine Eyes and 14 Eyes. These international surveillance alliances make it legal for member-countries to spy on their citizens.

recap

Although many believe that VPNs cost a ton of money, there are a number of affordable options on the market, not to mention free options. All in all, with so many options, you can choose how much you want to spend, from just over $1 per month with FastestVPN’s three-year plan all the way up to $20 a month with Astrill VPN’s monthly plan. There are truly options for every budget, so don’t let pricing get in the way of your privacy online.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve still got questions, we’ve got answers about VPNs and their bottom lines.

• How much does a VPN cost?

  On average , VPNs is cost cost around $ 10 per month . However , they are cheap if you sign up for a long term contract ; on average , annual contracts is cost cost $ 8.41 when break down monthly , while two – year contract cost $ 3.40 on average monthly .

• Is a VPN worth the money?

  Not all VPNs are worth the money. There are expensive VPNs and affordable VPNs, all with varying features and capabilities, so it’s important to evaluate all VPNs on an individual basis.

• How do I buy a VPN?

  To buy a VPN here is what you need to do:

  1. Go onto a VPN provider’s website.
  2. Choose your plan.
  3. enter in your name and payment information to purchase .
• How do I get a VPN for free?

  To get a VPN for free, here is what you need to do:

  1. Log onto a free VPN provider’s website.
  2. Download the app.

  Some free VPNs include Surfshark, TunnelBear, Windscribe, Hotspot Shield and ProtonVPN.

• What ’s the cheap good VPN is ’s ?

  When looking for the lowest cost VPN that’s still good, we recommend Private Internet Access if you’re open to signing up for three years of service upfront. That brings the price down to right around $2 per month. For a monthly plan, Bitdefender is a solid option at $7 per month.