CactusVPN pricing plans, renewal prices and real cost

The cheapest way in is €3.40 a month, paid upfront for the longest term. After that term, CactusVPN renews at its standard price, the same per month as the first term. Market median across the main ranking: €3.13 a month.

Real cost over 3 yearsCactusVPN score

×1.0price per month after the first 24 months, VPN + Smart DNS plan

€3.40/mo for 24 months then €3.40/mo €5

first termrenewalmarket median €3.13/momonths →

Real cost over 1, 2 and 3 years

What you pay to keep CactusVPN running: the first term, then renewals at the published renewal price. Where no renewal price is published, plans shorter than a year are counted as repeat payments at the current price; longer plans show a dash after their term. Converted to euros at the rates used in our data (1 USD = €0.86). The lowest cost for each period is marked.

Plan and first termFirst paymentThen1 year2 years3 years
VPN + Smart DNS, 1 mo €12.90 €12.90 / 1 mo€154.80€309.60€464.40
VPN + Smart DNS, 12 mo €60.20 €60.20 / 12 mo€60.20€120.40€180.60
VPN + Smart DNS, 24 mo €81.70 €81.70 / 24 mo€81.70€81.70€163.40

Compare CactusVPN’s full cost with other VPNs, for any number of devices

All plans as published

PlanTermPrice for termPer month€ / monthRenewal priceRenewal term
VPN + Smart DNS1 mo$15.00$15.00€12.90$15.001 mo
VPN + Smart DNS12 mo$70.00$5.83€5.01$70.0012 mo
VPN + Smart DNS24 mo$95.00$3.96€3.41$95.0024 mo

Refunds, trial and payment

Refund window
30 days
Refund conditions
if service doesn't work as advertised; no refunds for crypto payments, unsupported sites/devices, policy violations
Free trial
No (official pricing FAQ: no free trial, 30-day money-back instead; /vpn-free-trial/ redirects to pricing), site (email only)
Auto-renewal
Not stated
Payment methods
PayPal; Stripe; CoinGate (crypto); PayPro (payment processors named in ToS); card (review)
Renewal note
Rate locked for life: renewal price won't increase while subscription active

CactusVPN has a single plan, VPN + Smart DNS, with three billing terms: $15 for a month, $70 for a year and $95 for two years. The site lists prices in dollars only. The two-year plan works out at $3.96 a month, about €3.40, slightly above the €3.13 median across the main ranking. The 61% and 74% discounts shown on the page are calculated from the $15 monthly price.

Renewal at the same price

The main difference from most VPNs is that the price is locked in: as long as your subscription stays active, renewal costs the same as the first term. The catch is in the wording: the promise applies to a continuous subscription, and the service does not say what happens if you cancel and come back later. CactusVPN also does not say whether auto-renewal is on by default or whether you get a reminder before the charge.

What three years will cost

Month to month, three years will cost €464.40. The yearly plan, renewed twice, comes to €180.60. The two-year plan is cheaper than both: two payments of €81.70 give €163.40, and for that money you get four years instead of three. If you are not sure you will stay long term, the yearly plan requires less money upfront: €60.20 instead of €81.70. You can work out your own scenario in the VPN cost calculator.

What the price includes

The subscription already includes Smart DNS for 340+ sites, SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies on every server, and a shared static IP. You can connect as many devices in one household as you like, so a separate family plan is not needed. There is no dedicated IP or any other paid add-ons. Only Smart DNS is available for free, without the VPN itself. You can pay by card, through PayPal and with cryptocurrency through CoinGate. Payments in cryptocurrency are not refundable, and the rest of the terms are covered on the page about the CactusVPN refund.

More about CactusVPN

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