VPN is an extremely valuable tool to protect your online privacy and security. In this digital era one of the main concern is privacy and to tackle this issue through the use of VPN you can easily encrypt all your web traffic. But at the same time , VPN cost is kept in consideration. Data encryption ensures that all your internet activity is hidden from malicious actors and IP address obfuscation is great for online surveillance.
VPNs are feature rich and worth every penny but the integral question is how much is a VPN exactly worth it? The cost of VPN differs for each VPN service provider and varies with extra features and benefits. In fact, some VPNs outperform others in terms of pricing and features. To help you choose the best, we have provided a detailed price comparison of the top-rated VPNs. Let’s dive into the details of VPN cost and price comparison of the best VPNs in the market.
VPN cost – Speed, security and performance
There are plethora of VPN options available in the market but in general the main purpose is to protect privacy which is the same for everyone. Firstly, they encrypt all your web traffic so that everything you do online stays between you and your device. Moreover, VPN routes its traffic through VPN servers making it hard to track all the information. There are multiple reasons that affect the monthly cost of the VPN subscription plan that includes the following:
Number of Servers
The large the server fleet the greater the VPN cost. Not all VPNs provide excess to a range of servers across all the plans, so it is important to select VPN with viable server options. There are some VPN providers that increase the monthly cost based on bigger server ranges. Although it’s not a hard and fast rule, sometimes reasonable VPN provider includes access to fast and multi-hop servers.
Length of the Subscription Plan
The length of the subscription plan is one of the greatest factors affecting the VPN cost. The monthly cost of various VPN service providers decreases with long-term plans. For reference, here are NordVPN’s different subscription plans.
- 1- month plan: $11.99/month
- 12-month plan: $4.99/month
- 24-month plan : $3.29/month
The VPN cost for the premium VPN ranges from $ 3.24 to $15 for short-term plans. As for the long-term plans are concerned, the monthly charges range from $2.00 to $12.50.
Number of Simultaneous Connections
Various VPN services let you use their connection on multiple devices regardless of the subscription plans. But for few services, the pricing is based on the number of VPN connections. For example, in the case of TorGuard, the price is dependent on the usage on multiple devices.
Advanced Features
Premium VPNs offer a range of benefits that might affect the pricing. Features that can add to the cost includes a dedicated IP address, DNS leak protection, and malware protection. On the other hand, apart from it, VPNs include kill switch and split tunneling which further surges its cost.
Privacy Policies
The important VPN feature is its clear no-log policy. VPNs with zero logs do not collect, store or sell data to other third parties. Free VPNs are therefore not credible enough to secure your data, so the cost of reliable no-log VPNs is significantly higher. Premium VPNs are independently audited to prove their policy therefore costly procedures affect the price.
Security and Encryption
For enhanced security, you have to pay a little extra. As encryption and tunneling protocols are important in protecting the privacy, so premium VPN secures the data through which the information travels.
ExpressVPN– Strong Encryption and Speed
ExpressVPN being the top class VPN offers great security features and robust encryption. All the features along military-grade AES-256 encryption and WireGuard Protocol increases the cost of this VPN .But in general its little pricier when compared to other VPNs with low-grade tunneling options.
Speed and Performance
The top 10 best VPNs offer fast speed by implementing robust VPN protocols. NordVPN with its NordLynx protocol offers fast and stable connection. These Factors also add up to the overall VPN cost.
VPN Cost Comparison – Top 5 Picks
| VPN | VPN cost | Security | Speed | Streaming | Privacy | Important features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | $3.99/month | Excellent | Very fast | Yes | Excellent | Double VPN, Tor over VPN, kill switch, split tunneling |
| ExpressVPN | $6.67/month | Excellent | Very fast | Yes | Excellent | Split tunneling, DNS leak protection, obfuscation |
| Surfshark | $2.49/month | Very good | Fast | Yes | Good | Camouflage mode, CleanWeb (ad blocker), unlimited simultaneous connections |
| CyberGhost | $2.69/month | Very good | Fast | Yes | Good | Kill switch, split tunneling, NoSpy servers |
| Private Internet Access | $2.03/month | Good | Fast | Yes | Good | Ad blocker, port forwarding, P2P |
VPN Pricing Models
There are various pricing models; free, subscription-based, and tiered pricing. Lets go over each category and explore the distinct features
Free VPN Services
The option of a free VPN provides a prescribed about of data for usage which could only be good for browsing. Free VPNs are not credible enough and generally generate venue by selling online data to third parties. Hackers and snoopers can easily use free VPNs to infect the devices of those who use it.
Another crucial issue with free VPNs is performance. Free VPNs have a smaller server fleet and hence don’t provide a good connection for usage. Instead of this, pick a reasonable VPN with free-trial and money-back guarantee to save time and energy.
Subscription-based VPN
This is one of the most renowned VPN pricing type. VPN service providers offer short and long-term plans for the ease of customers. The VPN cost per month are little pricier so it is encouraged to opt for long-term plans. The 2-year plan is the most reasonable one and can save all the additional VPN costs.
The lower cost is not the sole reason to opt for a long-term plan. Instead, VPNs are continuously evolving and adding additional features to their list to increase its market demand. Therefore long-term plan is better in terms of performance and price.
Tiered -pricing VPNs
Although fewer in number but tiered pricing VPNs charge a specific price for set of features. The high tier means additional benefits and more functionalities meanwhile cheaper tier is limited set of features. This pricing type is relatively new in the VPN industry.
Price Comparison of the Top VPNs
Below are the pricing plans of the top-tier VPNs :
| VPN Service | Cheapest VPN cost per month | Plan duration | Upfront VPN cost | Pay monthly price | Money back guarantee |
| ExpressVPN | $6.67 | 1 year | $99.95 | $12.95 | 30 days |
| NordVPN | $3.29 | 2 years | $78.96 | $11.99 | 30 days |
| Surfshark | $2.30 | 2 years | $59.76 | $5.99 | 30 days |
| PureVPN | $2.08 | 2 years | $49.95 | $10.95 | 30 days |
| Atlas VPN | $1.99 | 3 years | $71.49 | $10.99 | 30 days |
| CyberGhost | $2.19 | 2 years | $56.94 | $12.99 | 30 days |
| IPVanish | $3.33 | 12 months | $39.99 | $10.99 | 30 days |
| Private Internet Access | $2.00 | 2 years | $56.94 | $11.99 | 30 days |
| Norton VPN | $2.50 | 1 year | $29.99 | $4.99 | 30 days |
| Proton VPN | $4.99 | 2 years | $119.76 | $9.99 | 30 days |
Most of the VPN providers have similar pricing plans that are potentially low for long-term plans. Monthly plans are three times more expensive than long-term plans and cost up to $13 compared to $ 4 on average. It is important to note that a higher price does not necessarily mean high quality too. So choose a VPN with advanced security features and minimal cost.