How Much Does a VPN Cost?

A VPN, known as a virtual private network, connects you to a private network using your current Internet connection.  These virtual networks use encryption and other security mechanisms to make sure that only authorized users can use it, adding an extra layer of security.  By using a VPN, you can prevent your Internet service provider and government from seeing your Internet history.

How much does a VPN cost?

Overall, depending on what you want with your VPN, the costs are going to be anywhere between $3 and $10 per month.  Take a look at some of the most popular VPN services online to see what they charge inside our table below:

NOTE:  The costs can be much cheaper if you were to pay three, six or 12 months at a time.  These prices are accurate as of 2017 and are subject to change.

VPN overview

A VPN will use a public network to establish a private connection to connect its users.  These services will also encrypt the data being sent and will also mask your IP address so you can’t be tracked.

Some VPNs will offer malware and spyware protection, but this level of protection will vary from one provider to the next.

Most services, at a minimum, should use PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN and/or IKEv2 protocols, have up to 256bit encryption and offer multiple country IPs.  The top VPN services, from what we researched, will include OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP.

Your reputable VPN services will often include a money back guarantee that can last three to seven days.

The top VPN companies offer anywhere from 100 to 3,000+ servers in more than 5 to 150 countries on average.

Tips to know

If you want to use a VPN on your smartphone, make sure the company is compatible with these devices.  Most of your top providers, however, will support Android, ChromeOS, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows.

If you want a VPN to watch America-only shows internationally, then you will want to make sure your VPN service provider is located in the United States.  Make sure you know which countries that VPN offers.

See how many connections are allowed at one time.  Typically, most providers will allow three to five, but some may offer more or less.

If you’re concerned about the data they collect, carefully read the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.  Some may record very little data, such as the time you logged in and the amount of data you used, while other companies may store any incoming IP addresses for years to come.

Free trials, plans and refund periods are extremely important to let you try out the service before committing to a contract.

With thousands of VPN services online, always read the reviews online to see what other people are saying.  This customer feedback can allow you to see people like and don’t like about the service, and from there, you can make your own judgment.

How can I save money?

There are free VPN providers out there, but in order to use them, they may set a very low data limit or you may have to watch ads constantly to continue to use the service.  They may also have other restrictions such as banning P2P networks.  For instance, Hamachi, HotSpot Shield and Private Tunnel are three popular VPN providers that allow you to use their services for free.

Prepaying in advanced, such as 12 months at a time, can often save you upwards of 60 percent off.

Be sure to look out for promotional codes before signing up with a VPN for the first time.

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