How Much Does a VPN Cost? First Term, Renewal and Refunds
We compare what 28 VPN plans from 28 providers cost for the first term and at renewal, with the refund period each one publishes. We compare prices and published terms only; we do not test speed, leaks or logging. Prices as shown in the United States on .
Caliper Press VPN Renewal Premium Watch
85.4% (small sample: 7 plans)
Median of (renewal price per month / first-term price per month - 1) × 100 across VPN services that publish both prices, in the page currency. Speed, leaks and actual logging are not measured. based on 7 · range 0% – 178.6% · . Methodology
Who is in this figure (7)
Total cost over 1–5 years
Within 3 years, the median amount paid for the 9 VPN subscriptions priced in USD with a known 3-year total is $139.98; the lowest is Private Internet Access at $79.17. See totals for 1, 2, 3 and 5 years for every measured plan
What changed this week 6 value changes across 28 plans checked in the 7 days to Oct 18, 2026
- Private Internet Access: $1.89/month → $2.03/month ·
- Private Internet Access: $2.05/month → $2.19/month ·
- ExpressVPN: $4.99/month → $2.99/month ·
- CyberGhost VPN: $1.99/month → $2.19/month ·
- CyberGhost VPN: $4.31/month → $4.75/month ·
- IPVanish: $2.39/month → $2.19/month ·
All VPN plans we check
Prices as shown in the United States on Oct 16–18, 2026. Rows checked on an earlier day show their date.
| Name | First-term price (longest plan) | Renewal price | Money-back period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdGuard VPN | $2.99/month | Unknown¹ | 30 days | Observed |
| AirVPN (last confirmed Oct 16, 2026) | ≈ $2.00/month | Unknown¹ | Unknown¹ | Calculated (16 Oct) |
| Astrill VPN | $12.50/month | Unknown¹ | Unknown¹ | Calculated |
| Bitdefender Premium VPN | $2.92/month | Unknown¹ | 30 days | Calculated |
| CyberGhost VPN | $2.19/month | $4.75/month | 45 days | Calculated |
| ExpressVPN | $2.99/month | $8.33/month | 30 days | Calculated |
| FastestVPN | $0.83/month | Unknown¹ | 31 days | Calculated |
| hide.me VPN | $2.69/month | $2.69/month | 30 days | Calculated |
| HMA VPN | $2.99/month | Unknown¹ | Unknown¹ | Calculated |
| IPVanish | $2.19/month | Unknown¹ | 30 days | Calculated |
¹ Not recorded yet · last check Oct 18, 2026.
Show all 22 plans 12 more
| Name | First-term price (longest plan) | Renewal price | Money-back period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mozilla VPN | $4.99/month | Unknown¹ | 30 days | Calculated |
| Mullvad VPN | ≈ $5.63/month | ≈ $5.63/month | 14 days | Calculated |
| OVPN | $4.22/month | Unknown¹ | 10 days | Observed |
| PrivadoVPN | $1.11/month | Unknown¹ | 30 days | Observed |
| Private Internet Access | $2.03/month | $2.19/month | 30 days | Observed |
| Proton VPN | $3.49/month | $6.99/month | 30 days | Calculated |
| PureVPN | $2.16/month | $4.00/month | 31 days | Calculated |
| Surfshark | $2.49/month | Unknown¹ | 30 days | Calculated |
| VeePN | $1.99/month | Unknown¹ | 30 days | Calculated |
| Windscribe (last confirmed Oct 17, 2026) | $5.75/month | $5.75/month | Unknown¹ | Calculated (17 Oct) |
| X-VPN | $2.92/month | Unknown¹ | 30 days | Calculated |
| ZoogVPN | $2.22/month | Unknown¹ | 7 days | Calculated |
¹ Not recorded yet · last check Oct 18, 2026.
Not recorded at the latest check on Oct 18, 2026: 6 plans
| Name | Status | Last attempt |
|---|---|---|
| Hotspot Shield | Unknown | Oct 18, 2026 |
| IVPN | Unknown | Oct 18, 2026 |
| NordVPN | Unknown | Oct 18, 2026 |
| Norton VPN | Unknown | Oct 18, 2026 |
| TunnelBear | Unknown | Oct 18, 2026 |
| VyprVPN | Unknown | Oct 18, 2026 |
How to cite this CC BY 4.0
Caliper Press, “VPN Renewal Premium Watch”, based on 7 plans, as of Oct 18, 2026; methodology; licence CC BY 4.0.