How Much Does a VPN Cost? VPN Prices and Payment Compared
Each ranking in this section sorts by its own weighting; the narrower combinations are linked from each ranking.
All rankings in this section
- Short-term VPN plans63 services
- Free VPNs282 services
- Free VPNs with no ads36 services
- Unlimited free VPNs68 services
- VPN free trials190 services
- Free trial, no card66 services
- 30-day money-back guarantee174 services
- VPNs under €268 services
- Cheap VPNs under €3167 services
- VPNs under €5280 services
- Monthly plans under €5106 services
- Lifetime VPNs22 services
- Pay with crypto181 services
- Pay with Monero21 services
- Pay with USDT22 services
- Pay in cash17 services
- Pay with PayPal211 services
- Pay with gift cards30 services
- Pay with Alipay20 services
- No auto-renewal19 services
- Family plans42 services
- Student discounts13 services
- Unlimited devices62 services
- 10+ devices127 services
- No renewal price hike60 services
Payment, coupons and affiliate programs
A typical paid VPN costs about €3 a month, but that figure assumes you prepay a year or two. Month-to-month billing in the middle of the market runs closer to €8, and a one-year plan lands around €3.60 per month. All numbers below come from the 377 services of the main ranking, snapshot of 16 October 2026.
What a VPN costs per month across the market
| Price point | Median | Middle half | Services that publish it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest price a month | €3.00 | €2.14–€4.29 | 311 |
| Monthly plan | €7.74 | €4.30–€10.00 | 301 |
| 1-year plan, per month | €3.58 | €2.51–€4.78 | 290 |
The headline price almost always comes from the longest prepaid term, split into months, which is why the first and second rows differ so sharply. For cheap options, the VPNs under €3 a month list is where to start.
How dollar and pound prices become euros a month
About 280 of the 377 providers quote in US dollars, 40 in euros, 5 in pounds; 33 publish no price at all. VPNRadarLab converts each plan at a fixed exchange-rate table from the snapshot: one dollar counts as €0.86, one pound as €1.15, and the plan price is divided by its months. VAT is the blind spot: 341 of 377 never say whether tax is included, so a European or UK checkout can show a larger total than the plan page did.
Monthly billing or a long prepaid plan
Among the 261 services that publish both figures, the monthly plan at the median costs twice the 1-year rate per month; at 124 providers it is at least double. The premium buys flexibility: one month to test the apps, then a long plan if the service stays. Prepay two years only after checking the renewal terms, because the first term is followed by whatever the renewal price says. Lifetime plans are rare, just 15 providers.
The renewal jump after the first term
The renewal ratio compares the renewal price per month with the cheapest plan of 12 months or longer. Only 73 of the 377 publish a comparable figure. Of those, 45 renew at the same rate, 26 at 1.3 times or more, 17 at least double, 3 more than triple. NordVPN renews at 3.3×, Proton VPN at 2.0×, PureVPN at 1.9×, Private Internet Access at 1.08×. A jump of 1.3× or higher costs up to 2 points in the price sub-score. The no-renewal-hike ranking collects providers whose renewal stays within 10%.
Refunds, trials and auto-renewal
A money-back guarantee turns a long prepayment into a reversible decision: 254 of 377 offer one (8 partially), 50 say they do not, and 65 simply do not publish the term. Thirty days is the usual window (119 services), seven days comes next (43); the 30-day money-back list collects the longest ones.
Free trials exist at 161 providers, most often for 7 days (46 services) or 3 days (29). For the trial, 56 providers require a card and another 56 do not, and where a card is up front, a forgotten trial date becomes a charge. Auto-renewal is on by default at 182 providers, so set a calendar reminder the day you subscribe.
How the price and fair terms sub-score works
In the base weights, the price and fair terms sub-score holds 15% of the overall score; on the rankings of this price section it weighs 40%, with the other five sub-scores sharing the rest. Of its 12 points, the cheapest price per month earns at most 2.5, counted as a percentile among consumer VPNs where a lower figure scores higher. The rest comes from the free plan (158 of 377 have one), the trial, a trial without a card, the refund window, device limits, crypto and cash checkout, and fair-terms checks. Across the market the median is 3.4 out of 10; the highest sits at 8.0.
Checkout options differ widely across the market: of the 377, 236 take bank cards, 185 PayPal, 167 cryptocurrency, 136 Apple Pay or Google Pay, 30 gift cards, 16 cash. The top three of the main ranking show how differently price can sit alongside a good overall score: CitadelVPN at €1.38 a month (overall 8.74), Proton VPN at €3.00 (6.12), X-VPN at €2.57 (6.05), with refund windows of 14, 30 and 30 days respectively. The cheapest price alone does not decide the rank.
FAQ
How much does a VPN cost per month on average?
At the median, €3.00 a month on the cheapest (long prepaid) plan and €7.74 on month-to-month billing.
How much is a VPN for a year?
About €43 for the year: €3.58 per month on a 1-year plan, assuming the whole term is paid at checkout.
Does a higher price buy better protection?
The price sub-score is only one of six, so a low price neither raises nor lowers the privacy and security scores. Privacy and security are scored from audits, policies and protocols, not from the bill.
Short answer
Budget roughly €3 a month if you prepay a year or longer, closer to €7–8 with monthly billing, near €3.60 on an annual plan. Before buying, check the renewal price, whether VAT is included, the refund window, and whether auto-renewal is switched on by default.