VPN services have become somewhat of a household tool for modern internet users. I use them for business security and personal privacy, and I can attest to their practicality. However, they have varying prices, and you may be of two minds about getting one. So, what is the average cost of a VPN?
The average cost of a VPN is $12. The price drops substantially when users opt for one-year or two-year subscription plans, up to a lifetime subscription. Discounted rates are prevalent during holiday seasons, with offered rates ranging between fifty and 80 percent.
Although there is an average cost for most VPNs, their prices often dip during certain times of the year. Understanding these patterns and how you’re spending your money will put you in a better position when deciding what to pay for a VPN.
What is The Average Cost of a VPN?
VPNs are a creation of the 1990s, and according to Cloudnet, about one-third of the present-day internet users utilize a VPN. The staggering growth of VPNs is in no small part due to the pandemic, and the market for VPNs is now estimated to top $92 billion by 2027.
According to Cloudnet, 49 percent of users use VPNs for general security, while 31 percent use VPNs to access public Wi-Fi. Some users use VPNs to get around internet restrictions at school or work. VPNs shield you from the prying eyes of internet service providers and anyone who could be monitoring your online activities.
The average cost of a VPN is $12 per month, although it can vary considerably. When users subscribe to long-term payment plans, such as one, two, or even up to a lifetime, a VPN that costs you $12 per month may instead cost you $6,50 per month if you choose to subscribe for a year and $2,75 per month if you decide on a 3-year subscription plan.
Paying per month is rather expensive for the average user, yet many remain skeptical about subscribing for long periods. If you’re one of the skeptical ones, or you’re not entirely sure if a VPN is for you, you’ll be happy to know that almost all VPN companies have a free trial period where you can test all its premium features.
Additionally, most VPN companies have exceptional discounted deals during certain seasonal holidays. The market’s leading VPN companies are privy to offering deals, particularly companies like Surfshark, ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and numerous others.
For example, these VPN companies can offer up to 80 percent discount for annual subscription plans, changing their pricing from $4,98 per month per annum to $2,21, and even throwing in an extra three months on top of that.
Is Free VPNs Worth It?
If you’re short on cash and considering a free VPN, there are some crucial things you need to know before delving into one.
Firstly, it’s essential to know that everything costs money, including free VPN services! Many free VPN companies have been in the spotlight for illicitly collecting and selling their users’ browsing information to third parties for advertising purposes. As a result, users become victims of hyper-targeted advertising.
In another case, a popular VPN company was accused of operating as a botnet. It meant someone could upload malware, spyware, or other harmful programs or materials to someone’s computer without their knowledge. To make matters worse, the user would have no way of proving that they are not responsible for the malware.
For these reasons, free VPNs are less secure than their paid counterparts, and it would be best to avoid them if possible.
What Is A Cheap, Reliable, And Quality VPN Option?
Surfshark has created a reputation for itself since its launch in 2018, and despite being one of the industry’s newest providers, the BVI-based VPN has swiftly established itself as one of the finest.
A comprehensive suite of security features is also available, including OpenVPN UDP & TCP and IKEv2 protocols, a private DNS, a double-hop VPN with AES-256 encryption, and a kill switch.
Surfshark is also the only real fake GPS VPN accessible, with an inbuilt GPS spoofer to fool applications and games, and it has a zero-logging policy, which means no data is retained on you anywhere.
Surfshark’s true show-stopper is its unlimited simultaneous connection policy, which means that even if you have 20, 30, or even 50 devices to secure with a VPN, you can do so for less than $4,98 a month with Surfshark’s one-year subscription plan.
What VPN Is Great Quality, But The Most Expensive?
ExpressVPN is a fantastic VPN service with an extensive worldwide footprint and solid privacy procedures to secure your data despite its somewhat high price.
ExpressVPN does not collect your browser history, website content, or DNS queries as part of its privacy policy. Your IP address, connection timestamp, or session length are also not collected.
It does, however, gather the bare minimum of information to keep its VPN service running: your account information, app diagnostics, and user-registered IP addresses for MediaStreamer users.
Split tunneling is a feature of ExpressVPN that allows you to specify which traffic should be sent through the VPN’s encrypted connection and which should be routed outside of it. Split tunneling is excellent for activities that need a lot of bandwidth but provide a minimal risk, such as gaming or streaming video.
Finally, the VPN gives its customers access to a network of roughly 100 servers spread throughout the globe. ExpressVPN’s headquarters can be found in the British Virgin Islands, which is privacy-friendly jurisdiction.
Conclusion
A VPN does not need to be one of your considerable significant expenses. There are varying prices to choose from, each uniquely suited to the pocket of each user. You may pay monthly, or if you so choose, you can opt for an annual, two-year, or even lifetime subscription plan.
