How Much Does a VPN Cost?
The cost of a VPN is usually the first factor that people think about when they are considering signing up for a VPN service. Unfortunately, comparing the price of one VPN service against another can be a difficult thing to do. This is because most VPN companies run special offers for customers who commit to them for a long time and pay in advance. As a general rule, paying for a VPN month-to-month will work out far more expensive in the long run than committing to a lengthy period of service in advance.
In addition to this, several companies offer free VPN services. These often come with significant restrictions in terms of speed and the amount of data that can be transferred. Still, they are a good way of testing out a VPN service before committing to paying for it.
How VPN Services Charge
VPN services generally require customers to sign up for an automatically renewing plan. This means that at the end of the period that they have initially committed to, they will be charged again for the same time. In some cases, the discount offered upon renewal may not be as great as the reduction that was offered to encourage the customer to sign up for the service in the first place. Most VPN services will send their customers a warning by email before the service is due to renew, giving them the chance to cancel the renewal before their credit card or other means of payment is billed.
The Advantages of Paying in Advance
Most VPN companies offer very significant discounts on their month-to-month plans for customers who are willing to pay for several years of the service in advance. While this might sound like a huge commitment, the cost benefits can often make it worthwhile. In many cases, the discounts can be as high as 80% or even more. This type of pricing has become typical in the VPN market, and most users can sign up for two or three years of service in order to activate the most significant possible discount. This suits VPN companies who can be sure of keeping customers on board for an extended period of time and is generally suitable for those individuals who may not have been able to justify the purchase of a VPN service at the previous month-to-month rolling rates but who can get on board at the much lower prices offered through such incentives.
Using a Free VPN Service
Of course, not paying for a VPN service at all is generally a much more attractive option. Unfortunately, many free VPN services come with so many restrictions that using them to browse the internet can be a frustrating experience. This is particularly true for users who want to use a VPN to watch streaming media that is not usually available in their country. Most free VPN services significantly restrict the available bandwidth, forcing users to watch content at a very low-quality setting. In addition, there are often caps on the amount of data that can be transferred in any given month. This means that even users who do not watch a lot of streaming media may find themselves hitting a cap that requires them to pay to continue using the VPN. All of these factors mean that while a free tier can be a great way of trying out a VPN service, it is generally not suitable for long-term use.
Comparing the cost of various VPN services can be tricky, but hopefully, all of this information will make it easier to make the right choice.
