There are a number of factors that affect the cost of a VPN. Below is a list of the main ones that can impact the monthly price of your VPN plan:
Length of Subscription Plan
The length of your subscription plan is the single biggest factor affecting the cost of a VPN.
As we’ve shown further up this article, the monthly cost of a VPN often decreases with longer subscription plans.
For instance, here are NordVPN’s different pricing plans:
- 1-month plan: $11.95/month
- 12-month plan: $4.92/month (58% discount)
- 2-year plan: $3.71/month (68% discount)
Out of the top 30 VPNs we’ve reviewed, pay-monthly plans range from $3.24 to $20.00. The average pay monthly price is $11.34.
As for longer-term plans, the monthly price ranges from $2.00 to $10.00. The average yearly/multi-year price of a VPN is $3.96 per month.
Number of Devices Covered
Most VPN services let you use their product on a set number of devices, regardless of your chosen subscription plan.
However, some VPN providers, like TorGuard, change their pricing based on how many devices you want to use the VPN with.
For example, here’s how many devices each TorGuard different Anonymous VPN plan covers:
- Anonymous VPN: up to 8 devices
- Anonymous VPN Pro: up to 12 devices
- Anonymous VPN Premium: up to 30 devices
![The TorGuard pricing page]()
The TorGuard pricing page.
Streaming (Netflix) Support
Most VPNs provide streaming support across their standard plans, however some don’t.
VPN providers like TorGuard and ProtoVPN charge more if you seek streaming support with your VPN subscription.
![The Proton VPN pricing page]()
The Proton VPN pricing page.
Number of Servers
Not all VPN services give you access to the same number of servers across all plans.
There are some providers that increase the monthly subscription price based on bigger server ranges.
In Proton VPN’s case, access to 400+ servers (in 40 countries) costs €4.00 per month. However, access to 1,778 servers costs €8.00 per month.
Sometimes, a more expensive VPN plan can also include access to faster servers (10Gbps or higher), and Multi-hop (DoubleVPN) servers.
Additional Features
Additional features like Dedicated IP and Residential IP typically come at an extra cost.
If you want these services, VPN providers like CyberGhost and Windscribe charge an extra fee on top of your subscription plan.
Moreover, companies like IVPN, only offer additional features like port forwarding and Multi-hop servers with their IVPN Pro plan, not their standard plan.
![The IVPN pricing page]()
The IVPN pricing page.