You probably know how great VPNs are by now – they let you bypass online censorship, unblock streaming sites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Popcornflix, and browse the web safely even when using unsecured WiFi.
But there’s one thing many articles don’t discuss too much – the price. Just how much do VPNs cost on average? Are they expensive or cheap?
Let’s find out!
How Expensive Are VPNs?
Most of you are probably thinking of getting a monthly subscription. You’re probably planning to transition to a paid one if everything goes alright.
So, we’ll take a look at the monthly plans of the top 5 VPNs on the market to see what the average cost would be:
- ExpressVPN – $12.95/month
- NordVPN – $11.95/month
- CyberGhost VPN – $12.99/month
- Surfshark – $12.95/month
- PIA – $9.95/month
The average is around $12-$13 per month, excluding PIA where you would pay $9.95 per month (let’s round it up to $10 just in case).
Not extremely expensive, but also not very cheap either. You probably already pay other monthly fees for services like Spotify, Netflix, and who knows how many other streaming sites (not to mention the cost of living too).
So an extra $10-$12 per month can make a difference if you’re on a very tight budget – especially if you will use the VPN for, let’s say, 3 months. That amounts to anywhere between $30 and $36-$39. If you stick with the monthly plan for a year, that’s going to cost you around $120-$156.
Ouch, a surprisingly big expense.
Don’t worry, though – we’ll offer you some helpful tips that should help you save big when buying a VPN.
What’s the Best Way to Save Money When Getting a VPN?
We did the math, ran some tests, and generally had some fun. Our results show that these are the two best ways to get cool discounts when buying a VPN:
1. Long-Term Plans
It’s a no-brainer, really. Pretty much any subscription-based service ends up being cheaper if you pick long-term plans – like six-month or yearly subscriptions. Sure, you get charged more on the spot. But, in the long run, you actually save more money.
Take Surfshark, for example. Like we said, a monthly plan will cost you $12.95 per month. But if you get the longest plan (the two-year subscription), you only pay $2.21 per month!
On the spot, Surfshark bills you $59.76. That’s just a few dollars steeper than if you were to pay a monthly fee for four months ($51.8).
It’s pretty obvious what the best deal is.
But how do you know you’re ready to commit for such a long time?
Good question. Well, consider this – pretty much all the top VPNs we mentioned offer no-questions asked money-back guarantees. Most of them are within 30 days. The only exception is CyberGhost VPN who offers a 45-day refund policy (14 days if you get the monthly plan – another reason to not do that).
In our opinion, that’s more than enough time to decide if the VPN is right for you or not. If it’s not, you just ask for your money back within that time period, wait a few business days to get it, and move on to the next provider.
What’s more, some VPNs even offer free trials. Out of the top five we mentioned, CyberGhost VPN offers a free one-day trial.
2. VPN Deals
These are promotions and discounts you can get during special occasions – like Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and Black Friday. Many VPNs lower their prices significantly, and even offer extra perks (like extra months added to your subscription free of charge).
Hunting for these deals can be quite a chore, though. You can get them all in your inbox if you subscribe to their newsletters or VPN review sites, but who has time to do that right now?
Don’t worry – we have a cool shortcut. We’ll show you the best Black Friday VPN deals you can take advantage of right now. Just follow this link (https://proprivacy.com/vpn/comparison/vpn-deals) to see ProPrivacy’s list. They’re one of the most popular (if not the most popular) VPN review sites on the web, so their recommendations are solid. Plus, you also get access to exclusive discounts which they negotiated with those VPN providers!
Other Things to Try
We saved these tips for last since they’re not the most actionable ones. That’s mostly because not all providers let you save money this way. Still, we figured it’d be worth mentioning them. So here’s a quick list of additional pointers:
- Keep an eye out for giveaways. Some VPN providers might offer prizes like two or three months for free with their service. These things usually take place on social media.
- See if the VPN provider offers discounts or free access to their service through “blogger” accounts. Basically, if you have a blog or site, you can promote or mention the service to get a free account. You have to discuss the specifics with the provider, though.
Can You Save Money By Using Another VPN or Proxy?
It’s a weird question, but we saw it pop up a few times on Quora and Reddit. People are probably wondering about this because you can actually use a VPN to save money on different services (video games, airplane tickets, car rentals, bookings, etc.) by hiding your geo-location.
But is that true for VPNs too? Could you use a free VPN or proxy to get a better deal?
Our tests show that no. We checked out the pricing pages from the top five providers on the market from different regions – the US, India, the UK, Romania, Germany, Malaysia, and Japan. While the currency was different, the overall price was the same (give or take a few cents).
We also asked the support reps from the top five providers if they offer different pricing based on your geo-location, and the answer was always the same – no, the price is the same worldwide.
How Do You Feel About VPN Prices?
Do you think they’re too steep, or are they acceptable given how expensive it can be to run a VPN service? Also, do you know other ways to save money when buying a VPN?
Please let us know in the comments below.
